Impossible Emblem
by Cormag Ravenstaff
Summary: A team of secret agents from SHEPHERD are assembled to stop foreign powers, criminals and to save Ylisse at the same time. Similarly, a team of detectives are trying to keep the streets safe and take down criminals within Ylisse. Secret spies, deadly plots and the world on the verge of war all threaten both teams. Modern Secret Agent/Detective AU.
1. For Your Eyes Only

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

**IMPORTANT!**

**The section before the line break must be read by everyone.**

**Since this story only uses one OC (Colby), I'm using characters from every Fire Emblem game in this story. So while this takes place in the world of Fire Emblem 13, there are characters from every Fire Emblem game in it. **

**You say you don't know what they all look like? Well, you're at a computer. ****Open a new tab and just search up what they look like.**** That's all you need to know, because many characters' character will change slightly given the modern setting, worry not, there won't be anything you don't understand.**

**And clothing, the cover photo is Gaius' outfit, but we're going to use imagination here. Since I am bad with modern clothing, just take a look at their outfit and imagine it modernized. And if they need a specific clothing choice (like a secret agent suit) I'll say so, and you can imagine it. Otherwise, I will be as descriptive as I can, but if we all enjoy reading, I'm sure our imaginations can handle that.**

**Children characters are NOT still children of the characters you know and love. Some may end up being so, but most are only loosely related to their parents.**

**The only backstory you need is that Gaius and Anna were childhood friends. And that there was a war between Plegia, Ylisse and Ferox that ended seven years ago.**

_**Italics are thoughts. **_

"_**Italics with quotations are conversations through communications channels or some other form or communication." **_

**And bold is writing or anything else. You'll catch on.**

**Finally, there'll be two kinds of scene changes. A regular line break will dictate a scene change within the current setting of the character(s) focused on, and a line break PLUS something that looks like this will be a complete scene change:**

Location  
Point of View

* * *

**Alright! I'm finally here at the Secret Agent AU I've always wanted to write!**

**And no guest reviews. They will be deleted.**

**This first chapter is about showing off the two teams that we'll be following along and the characters that make them up. First is The Crew (The secret agents/con artists) and the other is the YPD (The several detectives that we'll be focusing on)**

**And yes, I made up last names for everyone. It's a modern world, I kind of have to. But don't worry about remembering all of them, just the main characters and antagonist, but he'll come in later in the story.**

**And my knowledge of guns is…lacking. So I'll call everything by a generic name (i.e. Pistol, Rifle, Machine Gun, etc.)**

**Fun fact, Gaius has no nickname for Morgan in game canon. Actually, there are several people he doesn't give nicknames. So I have determined that he only gives them to people he really cares about. Except Morgan I guess.**

**Alright, for this first scene, it will not work like regular court, for I am using the Bench Trial system from Phoenix Wright because I understand it. Now let us begin…**

* * *

Job #0

For Your Eyes Only:

All information that you receive is for you alone. If you choose to reveal said information, we will have no choice but to disavow all knowledge of said secrets. If you are caught revealing our secrets, we at SHEPHERD have the right to deny any affiliation with you or your team. You will be hunted down and terminated. Good luck, Agent.

_It all happened very quickly. The assassination was only the start. To be fair, she wasn't well liked, even by her family. But a Princess is a Princess. And Ferox had to pay. But no one expected Plegia to enter the war. As for why they got involved, you do not have a high enough level of clearance to know that._

_Ylisse, Ferox and Plegia would have destroyed each other, leaving Valm to conquer. But one team of SHEPHERDs was able to stop that. A daring plan was concocted that could have spelt their deaths. But they stopped the ones responsible. Or so we thought._

_I would know, I was part of that team seven years ago. That's why I was promoted. Now it's my job to assemble the next great team. And they won't even know how much we depend upon them._

_-The Director_

* * *

Ylissean District Courthouse  
Virion Chandler

"OBJECTION!"

Virion slammed fist down on the table in front of him, "I'd ask that you prove that, Ms. Dawson!"

Eirika Dawson glared at him from where she stood in the Defense stand, "We already saw the photographs yesterday, Mr. Chandler. My client was not in a single one of those pictures!"

The Judge slammed his gavel down, "Prosecutor Chandler, this is the third and final day of the trial. If you have nothing to say that has not already been proven, rest you case."

Virion Chandler, "I apologize, your honor. But I am not finished yet."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Eirika asked.

Virion chuckled to himself, "Why don't we look at this case from the very beginning, shall we?"

Half of the gallery groaned. To them it seemed obvious that the defendant was innocent. And Dew Thompson was a very innocent looking person. The gallery was far fuller than usual. Trials like this didn't happen very often. A murder in the precinct? It didn't happen. And the gunning down of two respectable detectives? The public was hungry for the killer. But only a halfwit couldn't tell that Dew was innocent. The defendant stood in a roped off section guarded by three people near the defense stand. It gave Virion, who was on the opposite side, direct eye contact with Dew.

Eirika yawned, "Wake me up when it's over."

Virion cleared his throat, "This case all started with a simple thievery. The accused, Mr. Thompson, was found in the precinct holding evidence from our evidence room. But was this a simple case of thievery? Goodness no, for later that day two detectives were found in an evidence locker. One was Detective Leila Gryfflet who was injured having been shot twice near the heart. The other was Detective Inspector Marcus Olson."

"He was shot in the head, if I remember correctly?" the Judge asked.

"Yes, your honor. Naturally, the police arrested Dew Thompson since he was without an alibi at the time of the crime and he had obviously been in the evidence room-" Virion was cut off.

"Objection! You can't prove that, Chandler," Eirika said.

Virion only smiled and shook his head, "Ms. Dawson, as majestic a woman you are, you should have checked out the background of your client far more carefully."

"Meaning what?" she said slowly.

"Meaning the man you are defending right now is actually a famous thief, who steals for hire," Virion said smugly. "Direct your attention to this file folder of the high profile thieves of our time. Dew Thompson is sitting at number five." Virion handed the file folder to the bailiff.

Or perhaps not as innocent as they thought.

Eirika slammed her hands on the table, "What is this!?"

"I merely asked some of my friends to look into his background," Virion shrugged. No need to mention that his friends were secret agents that worked at one of the most feared agencies in the world.

"Why, I do believe this is all in order," the Judge said. "It's the real thing. Our defendant is a thief!"

Now the gallery was at attention.

Eirika fumed, "That doesn't prove my client is a murderer!"

"Patience, Ms. Dawson. I would bet my cravat that we'll have our murderer before the day is up," the prosecutor said, making careful eye contact with her. Eirika's lips curled with disgust as she looked at the fancily dressed prosecutor.

Eirika settled back down and continued to glare at Virion.

_Guess I'm not popular with all of the ladies._

Virion looked up at the gallery and made eye contact with his mentor, Renault Robespierre and his fellow colleague Marisa Beckett. Renault caught his look and nodded. Both were renown prosecutors, Renault being probably the best in the business.

Feeling reassured, Virion began the final steps of his plan.

"Now, I do not believe Mr. Thompson is the murderer. He is a thief, not a killer. Tell me Dew, did you have a contract to steal evidence from the evidence storage room?" Virion said, looking at the man sitting in his designated area of the courtroom.

Dew hesitated, then nodded, "I was hired to steal evidence. I don't know why or who hired me, it was just another job. I'm no murderer though!" There were several gasps throughout the gallery. Hearing a confession from a man's own mouth was far more important than what prosecutors had to say.

Virion nodded, satisfied, "If Dew is telling the truth, then I believe we need to find a new culprit. And as we established early on, Dew, nor anyone else appears in the security photos of the crime scene. Ergo-"

Eirika slammed her hands on the table furiously, "Get on with it."

"The photos were tampered with. They're fakes," Virion said.

There was silence, then…

"Hold it! Those photos were authenticated, they can't be fake!" Eirika yelled.

Virion shook his head with a smile, "That's because they're real too."

The Judge was confused, "How can they be real and fake at the same time!?"

"The timestamp, your honor. The murderer only had to cut off the time stamp, then we would never know when it was taken. But, when shown next to another photograph, you can clearly see the timestamp is not there!" Virion shouted. "But we never checked them against other pictures that had been take, did we?"

"But how would these 'fake' photos get into this trial?" the Judge asked.

Virion held up a finger, "Patience your honor. All in due time. Now, yesterday after the trial I went and looked for the actual security footage from the day, and it had been deleted. However…"

The gallery got on the edge of their seats. It was time for Virion's turnabout he usually made of the case.

"However the police had already made copies, just as they do daily. Photos of the day are kept for two weeks before being disposed, it's protocol. And the YPD were kind enough to give me them!" Virion said triumphantly.

Virion handed the photos to the bailiff who handed them to the Judge. Virion kept a careful eye on his opponent in the courtroom.

"What…? Ms. Dawson! This is you in these pictures!" the Judge shouted in surprise. There was a collective gasp throughout the entire gallery, as well as from Dew Thompson.

Eirika only looked maliciously at Virion, "Who are you, Chandler?"

"I'm a Prosecutor," Virion said simply. Inwardly he was celebrating and laughing. He had her.

She shook her head, "No, who are you really?"

Virion merely smirked and bowed, "No one of consequence."

"Good. Then I won't feel guilty!" Eirika dropped all pretenses and exposed the gun she had been holding. A gunshot rang out!

Virion felt as though he was in slow motion. The bullet smashed into his midsection violently. But there was no blood! Just the _thump_ that went unnoticed by Ms. Dawson. Virion Chandler felt his back collide with the floor. Grunting with irritation, he checked the gunshot 'wound.'

"She better not have gotten my cravat!" he whispered to himself, annoyed. Of course he was wearing a bulletproof vest. A SHEPHERD couldn't be taken advantage of so easily. But even with one on, it still hurt some when a bullet traveling hundreds of miles per hour struck him in the chest.

"Nobody move!" yelled Eirika furiously, her blue hair swinging back and forth as she whipped around, pointing the gun to and fro. The gallery, thankfully wasn't screaming and trying to run away. Oh sure, they were certainly ducking and hiding for cover, but no screaming. If one were to look in the back of the gallery, they would see Marisa and Renault in a ready position to jump up and do something.

Virion took a deep breath from behind the Prosecutor's bench. Eirika couldn't see him starting to get up since it obstructed her view. He took gasping breaths, using all his concentration to keep them silent.

Lithely, he stood up. Thankfully, her back was to him and he reached into the evidence envelope he had on his desk from earlier in the trial. Pulling the murder weapon out, he pointed it at Eirika. It was a typical handgun, a standard issue to all of the YPD. His finger tightened on the trigger as he heard the familiar crack of a gunshot.

The bullet struck Ms. Dawson in the shoulder. Her face lit up with surprise, and immediately went to horror as she screamed in pain. She dropped her pistol and fell to the ground holding her shoulder and screaming.

All was silent and Virion bent down to Eirika's ear and muttered quietly so only she would hear, "Virion Chandler, Agent of SHEPHERD." Virion smirked at her horrified expression and looked up at the gallery, "All in a day's work, folks." And he bowed with a smile on his face. After all, this was what he lived for.

* * *

Abandoned Ylissean Military Facility  
Frederick Quinn

Frederick opened his eyes slowly. That sleeping drug had really taken him by surprise. Frederick should have been more careful. He'd remember that next time.

"Oi! Wake up Quinn!" came a voice from the doorway of the small room he was located in. As his senses quickly returned, he found himself handcuffed to a wooden chair and a table in front of him. Frederick Quinn found himself in the usual kind of interrogation room, grey walls, grey floor, two chairs and a table.

Kenneth sat down in front of Frederick with a smile, "You know Quinn, torture doesn't work. Any man will say whatever he can to get you to stop. So why don't we do this civilly? Why were you and your agent friend here snooping?"

Frederick tried to form words in his mouth, but for the first time in a long time, his mind was so muddled he couldn't think of a cover story. Getting caught wasn't his and Claude's plan. It was a quick reconnaissance mission. But they saw something that had to have been dealt with immediately. Nuclear triggers in enemy hands were not a good thing. They trusted the Director to forgive them.

_Damn sleeping drugs._

"Frederick Quinn, answer me now or it'll be worse off for your friend," Kenneth said, an edge in his voice.

"The Director wanted us to see who had taken up residence in this base. The Director doesn't take kindly to people using Ylisse's military bases without permission," Frederick said in partial honesty. He had to busy Kenneth long enough to escape and find Claude.

Kenneth stared at him for a long moment, then said, "Fair enough."

Frederick couldn't believe his luck! Had Kenneth believed him? Just in case, Frederick managed to get the lockpick out of the secret compartment in his watch and began picking the lock on the handcuffs. Silly Kenneth, you're supposed to take the watch off the agent's hand. That's where the gadgets always are.

"But…" Kenneth began with a condescending smile. Frederick swore silently as the man continued, "Why would that involve _two_ agents?"

"Because…" Frederick said, stalling for time.

_Click!_

_Finally!_

Frederick jumped up, one arm free from his restraints. Frederick grabbed the chair he had been sitting in and swung it at Kenneth in a fluid motion.

The man was too startled to dodge and it broke into pieces as it collided with his midsection. Kenneth fell to the ground in pain. Grabbing the chair Kenneth had been sitting in, Frederick set the man in that chair forcefully. He pushed the man's head upright.

Frederick checked his watch and smiled, "Good. I've got time."

"For what?" Kenneth said weakly.

"To test your theory," Frederick began advancing on Kenneth with a slight smile.

"Theory?" the man said, still dazed.

"Torture doesn't work."

* * *

Knowing where Claude was being held, Frederick left the room with caution. He and Claude had seen several guards before getting captured.

Frederick ran silently down the long, vacant hallways, encountering none until he came upon the place where Claude was being held. There was only one way into the cell, past the guards. Having been imprisoned in one of these cells as part of training had taught Frederick well. They were like a typical prison cell, though every bar was reinforced with something that Frederick had never cared to learn about.

Two men stood guard. There were about Frederick's height, and by their stance Frederick recognized them as ex-HBI (Halidom Bureau of Investigation). Though due to their lack of attention, Fredrick determined they weren't the top notch quality he was used to.

_Fun._

Frederick sprung from behind the corner and threw a punch at the closer guard. Frederick felt his fist collide with the man's stomach, making him involuntarily lurch forward. The second guard began to react, missing his face and punching Frederick in his left shoulder.

Frederick's SHEPHERD training took over as he reached out a leg and pulled it towards him, tripping the second goon. The first one had recovered from Frederick's attack when the SHEPHERD struck him in the solar plexus with another punch, this time sending him to the ground, wheezing for air.

Frederick kicked the man he'd tripped in the face and jumped up, his elbow pointing down. His attack connected when his elbow hit the wheezing man in the ribs, shattering at least five of his ribs, judging from the screams and snaps.

The SHEPHERD was suddenly hit in the back of the head with the remaining goon's fist. Quickly shaking it off, he turned about with a roundhouse kick, slamming the goon into the wall, cracking his skull.

Frederick breathed heavily as he looked at his work, his adrenaline starting to wear off.

Claude stood up in his cell and clapped, "It's easier to appreciate your skill when I'm watching and not participating. I pray to Naga that we sabotaged that nuclear trigger successfully?"

Frederick nodded, "We disabled it. Permanently. The few people that could even hope to repair it are in SHEPHERD or the HBI. All is good." Realizing there was dust from his earlier scuffle on his shoulder, Frederick quickly wiped it off like it was never there.

Frederick searched the men, finding the keys on the man with broken ribs, he unlocked the door to Claude's cell.

"As for the initial mission?" Claude asked as he walked out.

"The fuse is set, the detonator is placed. Light the fuse," Frederick held out the trigger to Claude.

The holy man chuckled and clicked the button, "We better get running."

* * *

Ylissean Royal Castle: Lissa's Room  
Lissa Caverly

Lissa yawned as she clicked out of the card game she was playing on her laptop. The laptop had been a present for her fifteenth birthday, and she was an expert with it and all other computers.

She felt her hand drift across the winking smiley face on the top of her laptop and Lissa smiled, remembering when she put it on there.

There was a knock at the door. Lissa sat up from her swivel chair and brushed the wrinkles out of her pants she was wearing. A Princess' appearance was crucial as she was always reminded.

Her older sister, and Queen of Ylisse walked in. Emmeryn had the grace she didn't, it showed in her stride constantly, but it made Lissa look up to her even more.

"There's someone here to see you," Emmeryn Caverly said.

Lissa nodded and walked out of the door Emmeryn had open for her. Lissa's older sister led her to the smaller of the several meeting rooms in the castle. Smiling, Emmeryn excused herself since she had matters to attend to. Lissa opened the door and walked in.

Inside was a man with bright green hair and behind him a man that must have been his bodyguard. Said bodyguard wore a suit and so did the green haired man. He bowed to the Princess as she walked in, "Ms. Caverly, it is a pleasure to meet you formally."

Lissa recognized him from his visits to the castle before, "You're…Stefan?"

Stefan nodded and extended his hand, "I am Stefan Gerrard, Director of the YIA, or more commonly known as SHEPHERD."

Lissa's eyes widened, _this _was the Director of one of the best intelligence agencies in the world? Ylisse had two intelligence agencies. HBI for internal affairs and SHEPHERD, or YIA as it was also known as, for external and internal.

Stefan wasn't paying attention to her at the moment, "Volug, briefcase."

The wolfish man behind him handed Stefan the briefcase, who set it on the table and opened it. "Lissa Caverly, three days ago our agency was hacked, did you know that?" He gave her a sideways look.

Lissa's eyes widened, "N-no sir."

Stefan glanced at her as he took some papers out of the case, "Every picture of our agents were replaced by smiley faces and every logo of SHEPHERD was replaced by a unicorn, tell me, do you know how this could happen?"

Lissa shook her head and Stefan continued while looking her in the eyes, "We traced the computer back to this castle. To your room specifically. So Ms. Caverly, are you telling the truth?"

Lissa had never been more frightened in her nineteen years of her life. One of the most dangerous men in the world was here for _her? _Was there anything she could even do? It had been a joke, she didn't think they'd actually _do _something.

"Are…are you going to arrest me?" she said in a small voice.

Stefan laughed and even Volug gave a snicker, "Ms. Caverly, I'm not here to arrest you. I'm here to hire you!"

Lissa blinked, "W-what?"

Stefan kept laughing, "Not many can hack our servers in SHEPHERD. And someone as young as yourself is truly amazing. I'm offering you a career as a YIA Agent, or as some like to call it, I'm making you a SHEPHERD if you want it."

Lissa slowly asked, "It can't be that simple, can it?"

Stefan hesitated, and shook his head, "Nope, it's not. Your old life will never be the same. It may even cease to exist. If you take this job, you will have to commit yourself to the agency. We're the best for a reason. But if it makes you feel better, you'll save the world. That's for certain. And the team we're going to put you with will have a small failure rate. You'll be in little danger of dying."

"What exactly would I do?" Lissa asked curiously.

Stefan ran a hand through his hair, "Well, you'd be using very high tech equipment to hack into various security systems and other computers. You might do some grifting-"

"Grifting?"

"Yeah, the art of conning someone. To grift is to… fool someone. Convincing you I'm someone else through acting is grifting. You'll learn as you go along. Trust me," Stefan smirked. "But if you enjoy hacking, you'll enjoy the job."

Lissa sat quietly for a long time, thinking on her choice. Stefan leaned over, "I know I'm biased and you may think I'm trying to manipulate you, but hear me out. The life you have here, you'll never escape it. Once a royal, always a royal. This is your chance to feel free and alive. Serving your country, it's what you're supposed to do as a Princess anyway. It'll be scary, and you may regret the decision a few times, but the people you meet…they'll be the best people you'll ever meet. And saving the world has a very nice feel to it." Stefan grinned.

Lissa opened her mouth, then closed it. A few seconds later, she said, "Yes."

Stefan smiled widely, "Welcome to SHEPHERD, Agent Lissa." He held out his hand for her to shake.

Lissa shook his hand, giving him a firm handshake.

_I am not delicate. I'm going to save the world!_

* * *

The Ylissean Police Department  
Stahl Donivore

Detective Inspector Stahl stood up from his chair in his office. Pushing open the doors, he walked into the busy main room of the YPD. The Ylissean Police Department was home to one of the biggest police forces in any country. So the result was dozens of men and women running back and forth, telephones ringing and constant chatter. Desks everywhere trying to accommodate every officer. Each desk littered with papers and the like.

A usual police department.

Stahl wasn't the head of the YPD, but he certainly was up in the rankings. In fact, he had been chosen to lead a special group of detectives and take on the darker crimes of the city. There was one wrinkle, but Stahl figured he could manage it when the time came. He wasn't high up in the department for nothing.

DI Stahl headed to the conference room with his usual gait and no hurriedness. He and the other members of his team were gathering to see the final day of the trial of the man who had shot their friend Leila Gryfflet as they had the past two days of the trial. The others were worried the defendant would get off.

Stahl wasn't worried, he knew Prosecutor Chandler personally. It was Stahl who asked Virion to take up the case. Chandler owed him a favor or two anyway.

The detective twisted the door handle of the conference room and walked inside. He strode forward and took his usual seat at the head of the table facing the huge TV on the wall.

To his right sat Heather Starr, who had recently passed her training to become a detective. Heather was enrapt with the trial, barely flirting with Mia. And to his left sat Mia Meridas, a detective in training that Stahl had bent some rules so she could join the team, even though she wasn't a full detective. But the purple haired woman had tons of potential.

Missing from the table were Matthew and Leila. The latter was still in the hospital for gunshot wounds and the former was visiting her, since that was the usual job of a boyfriend. Matthew hadn't been around at all ever since Leila had been shot.

And then they had a new person coming in today. The wrinkle Stahl had to deal with, for he wasn't a detective. He was an agent of the HBI. And Stahl had no idea what to do with him.

Stahl sighed and watch the trial as Virion began summarizing the case. People all over the city were watching the fate of Dew Thompson probably much like Heather.

"This isn't looking good boss," Mia said. Even if she hadn't worked with everyone for as long as the others had known each other, she still cared about Leila a lot. It was one of the things that would make her a great detective.

"Hey, have a little faith Mia. Stahl says this Virion's good. He'll find Leila's killer," Heather said with certainty. Stahl nodded approvingly.

"Have any of you seen Matthew? Is he still visiting Leila?" Stahl asked Heather.

"He was in earlier to pick up some things, but he left quickly. So I assume he's going to be there for a while," Heather said. "Chandler better get the killer," she muttered darkly.

Reaching towards the center of the table where a muffin had been left for him, Stahl asked, "Who got these?"

"I did boss!" said Mia energetically.

Stahl nodded approvingly and swiftly gobbled down the muffin.

_Mmm…Blueberry._

Then there was a gunshot.

Stahl almost choked as he looked up at the TV to see DA Dawson shoot Prosecutor Chandler.

"What the hell!?" yelled Heather as she fell out of her chair. Her feet had been resting on the table as she watched. Trying to jump up in that position was not a good idea.

Mia only gasped and looked at Stahl for an explanation. Stahl didn't have one. This came completely out of nowhere! Virion Chandler, dead?!

"Look!" Heather said from the floor amidst several swear words, pointing towards the corner of the TV screen. Stahl stared at the corner to see Virion slowly getting up and brushing the wrinkles out of his fancy shirt.

The three watched, stunned with surprise as Virion stood up, apparently unharmed and shot DA Dawson.

The film cut to the news anchors and the three detectives looked at each other. There was a knock at the door.

Mia got up to open it, still bewildered from the event of a few seconds ago. Twisting the handle slowly, she pulled the door open.

A man with a scar down his face walked in, "Which one of you is Donivore?"

Stahl swung his chair around and stood up, "That's me. Who're you?" Stahl sized him up and came to the conclusion that this could be only one person.

The man reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a badge, "Agent Adair, HBI."

"Who is this guy?" Heather asked bluntly. She was giving him the Heather death stare. Detective Heather wasn't a big fan of men. It had taken her a long time to warm up to Stahl.

"Legault Adair, I'm the new member of your team here," Legault said, smirking.

"Boss?" Mia asked.

Stahl nodded, "Our team is an experiment. We're going to see how a diverse group of detectives and HBI agents cooperate."

_No telling if it'll work. At least there's only one HBI agent the agency had to spare._

"We'll be stopping crime with the help of two agencies to see if it's more effective," Legault said.

Stahl unconsciously felt for one of his badges in his pocket, his detective badge. He kept the other one away. Bad memories. And food made bad memories go away, "Indeed, now there's no better time to start then the present. Mia, are there any more of those muffins left?"

* * *

Annamart  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius popped the piece of candy into his mouth as he swung open the door into the shop. Anna Cassidy had been his friend since childhood. And now they ran a shop together.

All members of Anna's look-alike family ran some form of store. Anna Cassidy had a pawnshop. It was a very nice pawnshop, easy access to the street, an optimal location and the two of them both lived above the store in the second floor that they had turned into a place of living. And with their other jobs, they were able to afford it.

"Uncle G! About time you got back!" Morgan shouted to him from across the store. It was a slow day, she didn't have any customers to tend to. Morgan was their assistant as well as Gaius' apprentice in the art of thievery.

Morgan had found her way to the two friends seven years ago, at the end of the war. Near the end, she turned up looking for her mother. Morgan had thought Anna was her mother at first. Which was expected, but Morgan couldn't remember anything else except her mother. Gaius personally thought Morgan had had some sort of traumatic experience that led to her memory loss. She was Anna's niece, so to her that made Gaius her uncle even though the two weren't married.

"Having fun taking my place?" he said, laughing as he set down the groceries he'd just gotten.

Morgan rolled her eyes and stood up and gave him a hug. He hugged her back, "Any customers?" He ruffled her hair. She hated that.

They separated and she shrugged, "One or two, they didn't buy anything."

Gaius smirked, "Too bad. And Morgan, I'll be needing my wallet back."

Morgan smirked and handed his wallet back to him, "I can't help it if I compulsively steal Uncle. You know me."

"That's okay. You want your wallet back?" It was Gaius' turn to smirk as he held up the wallet that he'd lifted from her. Morgan furiously checked her pockets.

"How did you…!" Morgan said, outraged.

Gaius laughed, "You got miles to go yet kid. But you're learning from the best." He threw the wallet to her with a trademark smirk and she tucked it in her pocket again. Her hand hovering protectively around her pocket did not go unnoticed by Gaius.

Morgan sat back in the chair she was sitting in before Gaius entered and went back to the TV she was watching.

"Where's Red?" Gaius said, using one the many nicknames he had for the people he cared for. Though unlike others, hers was obvious.

"On a job," Morgan said vaguely. "Someone came by and asked for her help quickly."

Gaius nodded. Both he and Anna were con artists, accomplished thieves and grifters respectively. And they were both training Morgan in their respective strengths, Gaius with thievery and Anna with grifting. Though Morgan was a natural thief. Someone who compulsively steals can really only do one thing in life.

"Is that the trial?" Gaius asked, nodding toward the TV. It was all anyone was watching these past few days. Even Gaius was caught watching it occasionally.

Morgan nodded, "I don't know about this Virion Chandler, he doesn't seem very good."

Gaius shrugged, "He's trying to fool Dawson. Letting her lower her guard. I know how Virion works, I've worked with him before." Gaius felt obligated to defend the man he'd known for a long time. But Morgan didn't know that.

"On a job?"

"You could say that."

"And who's this Renault Robespierre they keep mentioning along with his name?" the redheaded girl asked.

"He's a famous prosecutor, one of the best. Virion's his student," Gaius answered.

Morgan nodded and went back to watching the TV.

The bell on the door jingled and Gaius walked toward the noise. A tall man with blue hair walked through, his usual smile on his face, "Gaius! How's it been?"

The thief's eyes widened, "P! Long time no see!"

Priam laughed, "It has been a while, one or two years or something?"

"The good ol' days," Gaius said with a smirk. Priam had been a member of _the _team from seven years ago.

"Well, I've been…ah, taking a nap for a long time," Priam said, slipping into the slang SHEPHERDs used. Priam was a Sleeper Agent, a man who only sprung from his deep cover when commanded. So most of the time he had was spent doing nothing related to the YIA.

"Has it been restful?" Gaius asked with a knowing smile.

Priam laughed, but suddenly looked serious and spoke in a low voice, "They want you back, my friend. Things're getting bad. Not even this old warrior or Stef can do everything."

Gaius' happy attitude soured, "P, I'm done. I left the life. Green can handle it all."

Priam just sighed, "I knew you'd say that."

Gaius changed topics at lightning speed, "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to pawn this ring, I need some money," Priam gestured to a ring on his finger.

Gaius frowned, "No. I'm not letting you give up on her." That was Priam's wedding ring, his wife had left him several years ago. Working in the field was very hard on relationships, that's why only relationships between fellow agents seemed to work out.

Priam's radiant posture dimmed considerably, "She's…not coming back. There's no point in waiting."

"I know while you're taking a nap, you can't get money from the YIA to avoid suspicion, take this," Gaius reached into his wallet and pulled out a one thousand gold bill. Carrying around one thousand gold pieces became troublesome so the world solved the problem with the creation of paper money along with gold pieces. Only Annas had large quantities of gold pieces anymore.

"I can't-" began Priam.

"Take it. I'm not letting you suffer out there for them P. Let me know if you ever need help again. Keep the ring, and keep waiting for her. She'll be back, I know it," Gaius commanded.

Priam paused, then nodded and accepted the money, "Try to stay out of trouble Gaius. Though I know trouble always finds you no matter what."

Priam left through the door he came through. Gaius walked back over to Morgan, deep in thought.

"Anything interesting happen?" Gaius said distractedly, though his lack of cheer went unnoticed by Morgan.

"Chandler was shot by Dawson, and he shot her back. Now I see why so many people watch these trials," Morgan said.

"Are you joking?" Gaius asked, slightly more alert. Then the phone rang, cutting him off any follow up. Muting the TV with the remote and abandoning all prior thoughts, he set the phone on speaker and answered it.

"This is the Annamart, you pawn it we sell it, how can I help you?" Gaius said the usual phrase.

"_Good afternoon, I'm calling to inform you that you have just won an all-expenses paid trip to Chon'sin-"_

The man on the phone never finished as Gaius quickly hung up the phone. Morgan gave him a strange look, then unmuted the TV.

_Damn them. Damn the agency. I left the life, I'm done._

"I'm going for a walk Morgan, let Red know where I am," Gaius said, throwing his green sweatshirt on and putting his headband on straight. He'd said he would never go back when he left a little more than a year ago. And he never intended to.

The orange haired man walked out of the shop, attempting to outrun his past.

* * *

He'd been walking and thinking for several hours. Gaius knew there was no way to way to get SHEPHERD to stop asking after him unless he had a hold over them. And blackmail against the Director was a bad idea. Plus the Director was his friend. Green wasn't someone to cross either.

Gaius was so preoccupied in his thoughts he didn't hear a car approach and follow him for a short while. By the time he turned around and noticed it, it pulled up alongside of him and opened the door. A man from within the car spoke, "Step into the car, agent. That's an order."

Swearing under his breath, Gaius stepped into the SHEPHERD car. Inside was a man Gaius had gotten to know well, Henry Talbot as well as another familiar face, Cordelia Shaw. And Gaius was not happy to see them.

"Crivens! What'll it take for you and the others to leave me alone?" Gaius said angrily. They'd left him alone for so long, why now?

"Nyah ha ha! Good to see you too buddy!" Henry said with his trademark smile. Well that hadn't changed.

"Hello Gaius, long time no see," Cordelia said while flipping through a file folder. And neither had the workaholic.

"I have nothing to say. I quit, I'm done. Stop following me and calling," the thief said, quite irked.

"You were one of our best agents. We need you," Cordelia looked him in the eye.

"Big things are going on in the covert world. Big things with lots of blood," Henry said dreamily.

"What kind of big things?" Gaius said despite his anger.

"We've gotten whispers that _he's_ out there. And if those whispers are true, then he is responsible for the embassy bombing a few months back," Cordelia said. "And that means you and the others never actually got him."

Gaius' felt his face grow pale. Three months ago, the Ylissean embassy in Plegia was bombed. The tensions between the two countries were higher than they had been in years. And if it truly was _him_…

"We need you back to stop him. You know his style, he's going to have an endgame planned. You are the only one who is in any position to stop him, besides the Director of course," Cordelia said. "And he's a bit too busy with keeping the world together."

Gaius was silent for a long time. He knew the risks of being in the intelligence community. It would bring danger to Anna and Morgan.

Then the thief had an idea. Probably a bad one, but this was something that needed to be done.

"I'll agree to come back, under a few conditions though," Gaius said slowly.

"Nyah ha ha! Fair enough," Henry said.

"I get to pick my own team," Gaius said.

Cordelia nodded, "But we already have a Hacker for you. Director's orders."

Gaius nodded, "Fine. And I pick the missions. You can present me with them, but I decide whether my team does 'em."

Both of them looked uncertain, but hesitantly nodded. "Is that all?" Henry asked. Gaius thought he sounded hopeful.

"I want to use the hideout my teams always used, and I want to take the team I pick on one of my cons. I need to see how they think, act and work together before doing anything large scale," Gaius said. His role in the YIA was being a Mastermind, he was the man who planned each mission, the one who gave the orders and every other little task that popped was his to deal with as well. Booking plane tickets, finding local YIA safehouses, etc. He used to have the role as the Thief, but Green had taught him well.

"That can be arranged," nodded Henry.

Cordelia handed Gaius a laptop, "Pick those you want on your team."

Gaius took the laptop (after putting a piece of candy in his mouth) and looked through his options. "Who's my Hacker?" he asked. Gaius wanted something to work with.

"Lissa Caverly," Henry chuckled.

"Crivens, wasn't expecting that," muttered Gaius. "What about Erk? I'd rather have him. Best Hacker I've met."

Henry's chuckling ceased for once, "Erk was killed in the embassy explosion."

"Shit," said Gaius. "He was a good man. He didn't deserve to brought down by the man we'd thought we'd taken care of. …I'll take Frederick as my Hitter…and Virion as my Observer of course. And since I'll be the Mastermind, that leaves two more. I already have my Grifter and Thief, they're fellow con artists however."

"Who are they?" Cordelia asked sternly. "We can't let you use non-agents without a background check. Though we probably shouldn't let you use them at all"

"Anna Cassidy and Morgan Cassidy," Gaius said. "Are we done? I hate these cars. Too small."

Henry nodded, "We'll contact you in a few days."

"I'm looking forward to it," Gaius said sarcastically. The thief jumped out of the car and got away from it as fast as he could.

* * *

Unknown Location  
?

It had been three months since he'd bombed the embassy. Knowing SHEPHERD, they'd be after him within a month or so. There wasn't much time to waste, but he wasn't about to smudge the Sterling name by rushing his plan.

"What do you want?" the man said in a bored tone.

The fat man in front of him cleared his throat, "I will deliver you the goods and you will put them to use. Any profits made out of this deal will be split fifty-fifty."

"I don't like your tone, Oliver," the man said. Sterling folded his hands in front of his chin emotionlessly.

"What do you mean, Mr. Sterling?" Oliver said. The fat man disgusted Sterling.

"I mean fifty-fifty isn't going to cut it. Twenty-eighty," Sterling took a drink from his mug of tea.

"That's absurd!"

"Tharja!" shouted Mr. Sterling.

Oliver suddenly felt something sharp poke into his back. He took a sharp intake of breath as he saw a dark haired woman standing next to him.

"Thank you Tharja, do you mind finding Ishtar for me? I have new orders for her," Sterling said lightly.

He refocused his attention on the fat man. "Now Oliver, you had best get your sorry ass out of here. And take the twenty-eighty deal, it's me being generous," Mr. Sterling. "And do remember the most important rule when dealing with me."

"What is that?" Oliver said in a small voice.

Mr. Sterling grinned, "That my name is Robin Sterling. Now get out."

* * *

**Author Notes: So you saw the introduction of The Crew, or the main team. And then you saw a bit of the YPD, more on them later. But just in case you're all jumbled up or something, I organized it all nicely.**

**Gaius Faraday: Mastermind, Age: 27**

**Anna Cassidy: Grifter, Age: 27**

**Frederick Quinn: Retrieval Specialist (AKA, Hitter), Age: 30**

**Virion Chandler: Observer, Age: 28**

**Lissa Caverly: Hacker, Age: 19**

**Morgan Cassidy: Thief, Age: 19**

**So what does each job entail? You'll find out next time/soon. And what will Anna and Morgan's reactions be to being signed up for the secret service? You'll just have to wait for next chapter.**

**And lastly, this story will be organized into 'Jobs.' Each job will have a different number of chapters, I don't know yet.**

**And finally, I don't know what my update schedule will be. I lose track of which day it is during the summer when I'm not at school.**

**"You have a wife...girlfriend? Because if you do, I'm gonna find her, whoever she is. I'm gonna hurt her. I'm gonna make her bleed, and cry, and call out your name. And then I'm gonna find you, and kill you right in front of her."**

**-Owen Davian, Mission Impossible 3**


	2. Solution to the Problem Job I

Disclaimer: Hell, I wish I owned FE.

**So now this'll be more like normal chapters for this fic. Part with the Crew and part with the Detectives. Sometimes the story may move slowly, and sometimes it'll move very quickly. Just bear with me.**

**And note, that anyone could come back at any time. Example, unless character X is dead, he could jump back into the plot ten chapters later. You don't know how everything is connected. So watch for the tiny things…**

* * *

Job #1: The Solution to the Problem

Part I

Annamart  
Anna Cassidy

Anna yawned as she flipped the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' on the front door of her store. She was tired today, the con she had been recruited for took longer than she thought. Posing as a famous noble in order to steal a painting took a lot of work. And a lot of disguise. Being an Anna had its perks, but it had downfalls as well. Posing as an interested business party? Easy. Posing as a noble? Not so much.

Morgan had said Gaius had gone out for a walk…and he still wasn't back. It worried her a bit. Anna knew she shouldn't worry, her best friend had been a secret agent after all. And if they were anything like they were in movies, then he'd be okay.

Feeling reassured, Anna took a glance at the computer screen in front of her. She hadn't made much profit at all today, and that made her sad. Though the fresh five thousand gold note from the con raised her spirits somewhat. Some of her sisters frowned upon the art of conning, and some of her sisters encouraged it.

Anna heard the door open and she saw Gaius walk through looking very tired. He grinned none the less using his nickname for her, "Howdy Red."

"Where have you been?" Anna said with eyebrows raised. He didn't go take walks. He usually just ate candy.

"Getting ready," he shrugged and took a seat next to her behind the counter of the store. Gaius looked worn out, and not physically.

"For…?" Anna put a finger on her chin habitually.

"I've been recruited. Agent Gaius, reporting for duty. Back to being a SHEPHERD," Gaius chuckled weakly. Though he didn't seem altogether happy.

Anna was silent for a moment, then, "I thought you said being an agent would put me and Morgan in danger?"

What fake cheerfulness Gaius had had disappeared, "Well…it's going to get very dangerous in the world soon. There's someone…no, I can't talk about that now. But soon nowhere will be safe. So I used the Grifter and Thief spots in the team for you two." He tried to smirk.

"…What."

Gaius took a deep breath, "You two are now agents. Huzzah?"

"I've always wanted to be a secret agent," Morgan exclaimed.

Gaius jumped up very startled. He went from sitting down to his feet in less than an instant. The thief scanned the room very quickly, "Where…?"

Morgan laughed and poked her head out from behind a book case, "You two don't look hard enough for eavesdroppers."

"Dammit," Gaius swore. "I need to be more careful. You could have been an assassin in some other situation." Anna was about to chuckle, but she saw the seriousness on Gaius' face and didn't.

"Back to the part about us being secret agents…?" Anna said with a neutral expression.

"It'll be like our cons, but on a, uh, slightly larger scale?" Gaius said with an attempt to diffuse the tension.

Anna didn't say anything. Gaius continued, "I made the agency agree to let me run a con with the team I created. If you hate it, just tell me and you won't have to continue."

"C'mon Aunt Anna?" Morgan asked. Well, begged was a better term.

"Morgan, don't call me aunt. It makes me feel old," Anna sighed. It could be an interesting profit opportunity. "And fine, I'll go along with this for now as long as I get paid. But I thought you hated it? Why are you back with them?"

"Well…let's just say…unfinished business," Gaius said evasively. He looked at the ground for a long moment, then he grinned, "I'll show you around the agency tomorrow. There are some things I need to pick up."

"They let you just show anyone the top secret SHEPHERD facility?" Morgan said eagerly. Anna couldn't help but smile slightly.

"They let me. I'm a very important person," Gaius grinned, his usual cockiness regained. Though this time Anna thought it might have been the truth.

* * *

Annamart  
Morgan Cassidy  
_The next day…_

Morgan hated mornings. They were always cold, and the bright sun wasn't even warm yet. Honestly, no one liked mornings. Nobody at all in their right mind enjoyed the morning.

But today Morgan was going to see the headquarters of the YIA, the most famous secret agency in the world! Every little kid dreamt of being a cool secret agent. Morgan was one of those few who held onto that dream longer than most.

And now it was coming true.

She could hardly contain her excitement during the car ride. Gaius was driving. He always did, as he claimed to have taken the 'Tactical Driving Course' in his training. She never really believed it, but now…knowing that her Uncle G was a secret agent, it made a lot more sense. Morgan still couldn't believe Uncle G was part of the YIA!

Gaius parked Anna's bright red car on the edge of Ylisstol. It was an area that was formed more like a small town rather than the edge of one of the most populace cities in the world. Gesturing for them to get out, he walked into a plumbing store that was adjacent to the car he'd just parked. Morgan followed him, puzzled.

Upon entering the store, Gaius walked right up to the blue haired woman at the desk, "Howdy cupcake."

The woman looked up from what she was doing, "Well, I'll be damned." She brushed her blue hair out of her face, "Mr. Faraday is back. Wasn't expecting to ever see you again."

"Farina, you know as well as I do that I'd eventually be back," Gaius sighed with annoyance in his voice. But he immediately perked up, "Do you have any of those nifty guns you had for me a year ago?"

Farina nodded with a smirk, "But it'll still cost you. Custom guns aren't cheap. And ever since you pulled me into the agency, money hasn't been coming in like it used to."

Gaius snorted and gestured to the store's contents behind him, "You could have changed the store to something other than plumbing. Green wouldn't have killed you. He thinks plumbing is rather boring."

Farina rolled her eyes, "Changing it randomly would be suspicious, and you know it. And what else would I sell? I can't sell my guns in a store this big."

Gaius nodded as Farina turned towards Anna, "Ah! An Anna!" She held out her hand for Anna to shake, "I'm Farina Dale, I really admire the set up your family has. You must make sooooo much money!"

Anna shook her hand and blushed a bit, "Um, thanks?"

Farina laughed, "We'll skip the formalities Faraday. You know the way." She pointed toward the back of the store and clicked a button under her desk. Morgan heard a soft _beep._

Gaius winked at her and motioned for the two redheads to follow him.

"Who was that?" Morgan asked.

"Farina Dale, an arms dealer. She was being hunted by someone a few years ago and I brought her in. Now she works for SHEPHERD," Gaius said as he came to a plain brown door in the back of the store. "Welcome to the YIA," he put his hand on the doorknob with a wide grin on his face.

"Er…what?" Anna said. Morgan silently agreed.

"Honestly, would you look for this place in a plumbing store? No, you wouldn't," Gaius flashed a smile at the two of them and popped a sucker into his mouth. He adjusted his headband so it was straight how he liked it. "You'll catch onto things like this. The Director is pretty big on inconspicuous."

The thief flung the door open to reveal a small room. Only one thing was in it, a strange sort of scanner on the wall. "Retinal scanner. Finger prints are easy to fake. Eyes are much harder," Gaius explained as he put his face up to it.

There was a faint noise, and a beep. To their left a door opened, well, more like two walls slid apart to reveal the way.

Morgan's eyes widened. She saw a large room, illuminated by many lights. The entire floor was either glass or some transparent material and the stairs that led up to the second level were of the same make. There were several people milling about doing whatever they were supposed to do, but it wasn't crowded. On the second level there were many doors with names written on them. Agents' offices, Morgan supposed.

A few desks littered the main entry way with computers and all sorts of high tech equipment that Morgan had no clue what they were for. A few people looked up to see who walked in, but they didn't pay them any more than a glance.

All in all, it was exactly the kind of thing Morgan pictured when she thought 'Secret Agent Base.'

Suddenly one of the doors flung open on the second floor. A giant man walked out, he was bald with bulging muscles and a dangerous face. A green haired man walked out behind him.

"We're handling it the best we can! I don't see you trying to help!" shouted the green haired man more than a little annoyed.

"The World Intelligence Agency has many things to take care of. Sterling is your problem," said the big man in a deep voice.

"Arturian, we should be helping each other. YIA and WIA together. We can catch him if we work together!" growled the other man.

"Gerrard, do your job," said Arturian. The giant man walked toward the three con artists presumably for the door.

Gaius jumped out of the way and to Morgan's surprise, snapped into a formal salute. "Hello sir, long time no see."

Arturian turned, "Faraday? Well, I guess Stefan does have the best on the case. Fix the problem quick."

"Will do sir!" Gaius said. And the big man continued on his way.

_That was certainly out of character for Uncle G._

The giant man left and the green haired man walked down the stairs, "Ah! Gaius, I'm glad you're here. Henry and Cordelia told me the good news."

"Green, I'm only here to finish what we started. After that, I'm done. For good. And… oh right," Gaius turned toward his companions. "Anna, Morgan, this is Stefan Gerrard. He's the Director of the YIA. Green, I've told you about these two."

"How do you do?" Stefan said warmly.

Morgan decided she liked him and extended her hand for him to shake. Stefan smirked as he shook her hand, "You certainly raised a polite kid, Faraday. She's got a good handshake."

"She's not my kid…not exactly," Gaius mumbled and Stefan laughed.

"I suppose it goes without saying, but I should make this clear anyway," Stefan said. "You two know where this agency is now. If you tell anyone, we will find out and be forced to kill you." Stefan smiled apologetically, "Sorry, it's protocol."

Morgan's smile slid from her face and Anna muttered, "How fun." Gaius however, laughed.

The Director turned to Gaius, "The Hideout is ready. And your office is unlocked. Have fun. I've got to keep running around and directing." Stefan gave a wave and hurried off to somewhere else.

"Follow me," Gaius instructed and led them up the stairs. They walked a short ways down a hallway until they got to a door that had a metal plaque reading 'Gaius.' It was dusty.

Gaius glared at it and wiped the dust away, then opened the door and walked in. Morgan and Anna followed and looked around at Gaius' small office. There wasn't anything at all except a desk with a computer on it and one framed picture on the wall.

And of course, that was the first thing Morgan looked at. It was six people sitting on a car that was riddled with bullet holes. They were all smiling like idiots. She picked out Gaius with a sucker in his mouth more towards the back. Right in the front was the man she'd just met, Stefan. Next to him was the huge bald man that had Gaius' respect. And finally there was an Anna, someone she didn't know, and Prosecutor Virion.

_What?_

"That picture brings back memories," Gaius said, looking at it nostalgically. The picture was covered with dust as well. This time, Gaius gently cleaned it off with his sweatshirt sleave.

Morgan looked at him with a look that demanded an explanation. Gaius gave her a wry smile, "Us six were the ones who ended the war seven years ago. Me, Ruffles, Green, Erk, Colby and Anna. Not your aunt," he chuckled.

"You _ended_ the war seven years ago?" Morgan asked, wide eyed. That war was all anyone talked about these days. Especially seeing as it might get rekindled soon.

"That's confidential, squirt. Anywho, I got what I came here for," Gaius held up the computer. "Let's go."

Anna spoke up, "So that's what you were doing when you left?"

Gaius paused, "I left you eight years ago because I was recruited into the YIA. I couldn't tell you about it at the time, especially not the mission I was on. And once again, I apologize."

"We were friends Gaius. We'd been friends since we learned how to walk as kids. You could've told me," Ana said, slightly hurt.

"I wanted to Anna. I really did. But we were in a race against time and Green forbade me. But this time, we're at each other's sides. No need for lies or disappearances," Gaius walked over and gave Anna a hug.

Anna hugged him back and nodded, though Morgan couldn't quite read her expression. But it certainly looked like she was enjoying the hug.

* * *

"Thanks Farina," Gaius said, putting the gun in its harness under his sweatshirt. The thief gave it an experimental secret agent 'Pull The Gun Out Of The Holster Quickly.'

"You be careful out there Faraday," Farina said with a slight grin. Then after a moment, "I wouldn't want to lose your business."

Laughing Gaius said, "I'll see you later, cupcake." And he walked out of the store. Ready to fight crime.

* * *

The Hideout  
Gaius Faraday

The thief put the car in park. Gaius looked out of the red car at the small house. This was the place he always had his teams meet for planning.

It was a brick house on the edge of town. It had a nice green lawn with a wrought iron fence around its yard. It was the kind of house that was right next to the road and had moss and vines growing on the walls. The garage next to the house had three cars in the driveway. Anna's red car, a car Gaius recognized as Virion's and their black standard issue SHEPHERD van.

"What is this place?" Anna asked.

"Our Hideout. A SHEPHERD safehouse. Ready to meet the other members of the team?" Gaius began walking toward the door. He loved this house, many great memories.

The three walked in.

It was a modest house, the furniture was nothing fancy. And frankly, there wasn't anything that made it look like a YIA house. And that was the point. Well, there was the basement, but no one knew about that.

Except for the fact that there was a huge TV screen on the wall. Facing the screen were six bar stools, all connected like in an actual bar, table and all. Perfect for people to sit at and watch the screen, papers and such scattered about.

"Welcome to the Hideout," said a familiar voice.

Gaius turned his attention to Virion Chandler, who was sitting at one of the stools grinning, "Look whose back in the business. Long time no see Gaius! I have missed wooing the women without you!"

"You know I never flirted with any of your women you found. And nice trial earlier Ruffles," Gaius grinned.

Virion looked behind Gaius to see Morgan and Anna, "Ah, newcomers? Exquisite, we better hurry on with introductions then."

Gaius nodded and noticed for the first time Frederick Quinn and Lissa Caverly. The former was sitting as stoically as always and the latter was sitting nervously. "I think it'd be good if we all introduced ourselves, don't you think?" Gaius said. "I'll go first, my name is Gaius and I'm the Mastermind. I like candy and my favorite color is purple."

Virion nodded and continued as if this was standard protocol, "My name is Virion, and I'm the Observer. I'm a prosecutor and my favorite color is the fabulous blue."

Frederick rolled his eyes and said in his surprisingly _not _monotone, "I am Frederick, the Retrieval Specialist."

There was silence.

Then, "What's your favorite color?" Gaius asked seriously as if the future depended on it.

Frederick paused, "Black."

Gaius nodded, "Red, your turn."

"My name is Anna, and I'm the Grifter. My favorite color is red, obviously," Anna chuckled nervously. Virion smiled for encouragement.

Morgan went ahead without waiting for Gaius' okay, "My name is Morgan, and I'm the Thief! My favorite color is red too."

"Are these colors even necessary?" Frederick mumbled, a little bit annoyed.

"Quiet Freddy Bear, it's Princess' turn," Gaius said.

"Freddy Bear…?" Frederick said, irritated. The one other time Gaius had worked with Frederick he called him that nickname. And Fredrick hated it.

"I'm Lissa, and I'm the…Hacker? Is that right?" Lissa asked shyly.

Gaius nodded encouragingly, "Favorite color?"

"Yellow," she shrugged.

"Well, there we go! I bet we'll all be sweet friends," Gaius clapped his hands. "Now for-"

"Mr. Faraday?" Lissa said questioningly.

"Hmm?" He focused his attention on her. She was wearing a suit that didn't really match her personality.

"What exactly do all these jobs entail? Like what does a Mastermind do? Or a Hacker?" Lissa asked curiously.

"Idiot!" Gaius exclaimed. Seeing the look on Lissa's face, he shook his head, "No, not you, me. I forgot you're completely new to this. Alright, let's explain the jobs then."

Gaius pointed to Virion, "He's the Observer. He keeps an eye on us while we work the job. He's our weapons specialist too and the guy who sits on the rooftops and shoot people. You've seen movies. But me and him are usually the two watching out for the rest of you."

Next Gaius pointed to Frederick, "Freddy Bear beats people up. He's the Hitter, or Retrieval Specialist as the role is formally known as. You call him when we need to save someone. But he's good at kicking ass and beating up guards at the facilities we break into."

Gaius pointed at Anna with a slight smile, "Red is our Grifter. She fools people for a living. On any given day, Red could fool you into thinking she was a Valmese Duchess if she wanted to. But Red is the one who gains the mark's trust and convinces them to do what we want through all sorts of methods like Neuro Linguistics Reprogramming and the like."

Lissa raised her hand, "The…mark?"

"The mark is the target of the job. The person we're trying to con or kill," Frederick interjected. Gaius shot him a brief look and resumed.

"Morgan is our Thief. She sneaks in and out of air vents and the like. Stealing things is her game. Or sabotage. Whatever stealthy arts are needed."

Gaius pointed to Lissa, "Then there's you. You, Princess, hack into where ever we are and assume control. You control the cameras and security systems so we can go and slip in without anyone noticing. If there are laser detectors, you shut 'em off. If there are guards coming for us, you let us know. And you monitor the communications channel we're using in case someone is using our frequency."

"And you?" Lissa asked.

"I'm the Mastermind," Gaius said with a smirk. "I plan everything. And it's my job to fill in the gaps with our team. You'll figure it out as we go. Trust me." He winked.

Lissa nodded and Gaius looked everyone in the eye, "So who is ready to take down Miriel Avarige, CEO of Solution? Our first mark and job is stopping a corrupt business. Who's ready?"

* * *

YPD Conference Room  
Stahl Donivore

Stahl yawned as he stared at the muffin in the middle of the table. He wanted to reach for it, but currently his laziness outweighed his hunger for once. Thus was the state of boredom.

"Is this all we do? Sit around?" Legault said, irritated. He had been shifting in his seat for a long time now. Stahl was surprised he hadn't asked sooner.

"It's called being on standby," Stahl said. "We are the 'elite team.' It's our job to tackle the tough cases. And at the moment there aren't any."

But truthfully, it was quite boring. There was nothing happening that warranted the need of Stahl's team. It was another boring and usual day. So they sat around and did nothing. Well, Heather, Mia and Matthew Brooks sat around playing poker. And again, like usual, Matthew was winning.

Leila wasn't well enough yet to come back to work, it'd probably be a while before she was. But Stahl was glad he at least had Matthew back with the team. Matthew would be back to his talkative self once Leila returned.

Stahl's cellphone began to ring. Sighing, he answered it with a boring, "Hello?"

"_Sir! We have a prisoner that has escaped!"_

Stahl blinked a few times and unconsciously sat up straighter, "…Say that again."

"_Detective Inspector, Sothe Walker escaped from the Ylisstol Prison!"_

"…Find him. I don't care what you have to do, find him!" Stahl shouted into the phone. He hung it up and looked at the startled members of the team. "We've got a job to do." Legault had a triumphant expression on and a slight smirk.

Stahl burst out of the room, the general area of the precinct was already a flurry of activity. But it quieted down when the police chief came out of his office. Stahl turned respectively towards his superior.

Gregor Marshall walked right over to Stahl and nodded to him, "Gregor thinks this is your case, yes? Gregor thinks DI Donivore should take charge. Good use of your team, Gregor thinks." No one knew where Gregor's accent came from. But that didn't take away from the police chief's command. His accent practically demanded attention.

Stahl nodded, then turned to the rest of the precinct, "I want everyone to scan the CCTV footage down to the smallest bit. We cannot let the YPD be known as the police department that let a prisoner escape. Especially Sothe Walker. When you find a lead, call me. You're looking for any car he stole, or Walker himself. You do not rest until we find him. Is that clear!?"

"Yes sir!" and with that the precinct erupted into activity.

Stahl turned to his posse, "Let's move out."

* * *

"So what are we looking for, boss?" Mia asked from the back seat of the police car. She had to talk very loudly over the siren.

Stahl pressed on the gas and spoke equally as loud, "Sothe Walker. Age 32, green hair and tall. Menacing looking. Known connections with Robin Sterling, YIA's most wanted. Essentially, he's a terrorist. Albeit he's not. But when someone has connections with Robin Sterling, they're treated with the same threat level as a terrorist. But it is imperative we catch him. Especially since he used to be a detective."

"What did he do to go to jail? He was part of the force?" Heather asked to the right of Stahl in the front seat. Matthew and Legault were in another car following Stahl. Heather had insisted on going with Stahl. The Detecitve wasn't very fond of men, and Stahl and Matthew were the only two she had come to trust. Legault was not one of those two.

Stahl spared a brief glance toward Heather, "Do you know who Robin Sterling is?"

Heather and Mia both shook their heads and Stahl sighed, "To keep it short, he started the war between Plegia, Ylisse and Ferox. He's the most dangerous man alive. Any affiliates with him are considered extremely dangerous, no matter their crime. Sothe Walker was found in contact with him. Bribery and something akin to Sothe transporting something for Sterling."

Stahl's phone rang and Heather picked it up, "Did you find him?" Heather spoke with a detective's assurance. Stahl was proud.

Heather listened to whoever was on the other side, then nodded and turned to Stahl, "CCTV just picked up Walker stealing a car. Follow my directions. And turn left."

Stahl nodded and spun the wheel to the left. "We'll find you, you son of a bitch," Stahl muttered quietly.

* * *

The Streets of Ylisstol  
Sothe Walker

Sothe sprung the lock on the car door. He glanced inconspicuously around and climbed in once he determined his safety. After a quick hotwiring of the car, Sothe began his escape.

Thankfully he had the foresight to mug that man on the way and steal his clothes. A prison uniform would be far too conspicuous. But the suit of a normal business man was much commoner on the streets of Ylisstol.

Sothe's thoughts were stopped when he heard the familiar noise of a hammer being pulled back on a gun. Looking in his mirror, he saw a man in his back seat pointing a gun at him while reading a newspaper and holding a cup of coffee. Sothe's entire body went cold and he swallowed deeply.

"Keep driving Sothe Walker," the man said nonchalantly.

"H-how did you get in here?" Sothe said. He would have heard him! It wasn't possible-

"No one ever notices me," he said simply. The man took a sip of his drink, "But you'll have heard of me. My name is Kellam Anderson."

Sothe's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, "Yes…I have heard of you." And that was not good at all.

Kellam nodded, "That'll make things easier. So I'll cut to the chase. Miriel Avarige hired me. She wants you brought to Solution headquarters."

Sothe realized he had been holding his breath. He exhaled, and said, "Can I just tell you what she wants and let you tell her what I said?"

Kellam looked up from his newspaper for the first time and met Sothe's eyes. It was cold, rather dead gaze, "Pay attention to the road Sothe."

Sothe glanced down from the mirror and jerked the steering wheel to the right to avoid a car. Adrenalin coursing through his veins, he glanced back to Kellam. The man had gone back to reading his paper.

"No. Miriel specifically wanted me to have you brought in," Kellam said as he turned a page. "I obey orders."

Sothe nodded absentmindedly as he began looking for an escape plan. Surely he could disarm Kellam and escape. Perhaps ramming the car for a distraction?

"I wouldn't do that," Kellam said.

"What?" Sothe jumped in his seat. Naga, was he nervous.

"Your muscles tensed. You were thinking of attacking me. But you should know that even if you get the gun away from me, there is a bomb under your car. The minute you try anything I can detonate it," Kellam said, meeting Sothe's eyes for a second time. It wasn't any more pleasant.

Sothe took a moment to find his voice, "But you'd die as well."

Kellam let out a bone chilling laugh, "Oh Mr. Walker, you think I couldn't escape? You truly don't know a thing about me."

Sothe did all he could to keep his composure. Only three things in life frightened him. Death, Robin Sterling and now Kellam Anderson.

"To Solution then? Can you at least tell me why Miriel wants me?" Sothe asked.

Kellam yawned and flipped the page again, "I think it has to do with the Plegian faction Miriel is affiliated with. You know, the one that plans to release some disease into the public of Ylisse to weaken them and frame Ferox. And apparently you know where Sterling is keeping it."

"Sterling has style when he makes his move. Miriel has to rely on him to even try to make it work. She doesn't deserve his help or mine," Sothe said with irritation.

Kellam chuckled, "You stupid people. Thinking that killing so many people will solve your problems. There is no style to killing hundreds of people at once. I may be a hired assassin, but I will have to agree that SHEPHERD, HBI, WIA, they all have the right state of mind for this problem. Sterling has his own agenda. And he doesn't care about you."

"You're wrong," Sothe said with conviction. "Sterling knows the right course of action."

Kellam shook his head, "You're like a stubborn child. I hope you die quite painfully."

* * *

**Author Note: This will be more of the pacing of normal chapters. One group might be boring, the other more exciting. But chapters will usually focus more on the Crew rather than the Detectives. So huzzah to the first of our many plots in this fic!**

**In case you didn't know, CCTV cameras are those cameras on top of buildings that watch everything that goes on in public. Police have had a history of using them to find and stop criminals.**

**I apologize if I butchered Gregor's accent. I've never wrote him before. Don't hurt me.**

**I tried to make the whole introducing the various as interesting as possible. I kept it shorter than it could have been because you'll realize just how exactly everyone works through reading further when I actually get to the jobs and such. (Psst! That means next chapter!)**

**Miriel's last name is a bit of a joke. If you pronounce it right, it sounds like 'Average.' Which she clearly is not.**

"**You only live twice: Once when you're born, and once when you look death in the face."**

**-James Bond**


	3. Solution to the Problem Job II

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem

**On a note one of the reviews brought up, ****Robin is **_**not**_** Morgan's dad.**** I already said earlier that characters would not be related like they are in game (Children are not the kids of their parents. But in some cases they'll be related in some form). At least I **_**think**_** I said that earlier…anyway, sorry for any confusion. Nope, just checked, I never said that. Whoops. Now you know.**

**When you think of the Hideout, think of a Victorian style house. Not one of the huge ones.**

* * *

Solution to the Problem Job

Part II

The Hideout  
Gaius Faraday

"Meet Miriel Avarige, CEO of the company Solution," Gaius said pointing to a picture of the woman on the computer screen. She looked every bit the CEO stereotype. "Solution, as you all probably know, is a company that creates vaccines and medicines. We've all had some sort of drug from Solution at one point in our lives." Around the table the others nodded.

"Then why are we focusing on taking this woman down?" Frederick asked. "My mother once had her life saved by Solution. She wouldn't be here today without Solution."

Gaius nodded, "That's part of the problem. Have you ever noticed the lack of side effects to Solution drugs? There are usually next to none. And that's good for business, isn't it? Don't have to worry about itchy eyes and all that stuff."

The other five team members nodded, not seeing where this was going. But that was how Gaius operated.

"All companies similar to Solution test their products on animals. Monkeys, rats, you get it. But Solution is different. They test on humans," Gaius said, a hint of anger in his voice. "Monkeys are most like humans of all animals, but obviously, not the exact same. Some side effects remain hidden. And that leads to profit loss. Solution is eliminating that profit loss by experimenting their drugs on other people."

"How big of a casualty number are we talking about?" Virion asked, all confusion off his face and replaced by a calm seriousness.

"It varies year to year, but it usually ranges between one thousand and seven thousand," Gaius said. Lissa and Morgan gasped while the others nodded grimly. Their doubts left their faces.

"What you're saying is that every vaccine or drug has been paid for with other people's lives? Then justice has been denied too long, and it shall be delivered by the spectacular Virion!" the prosecutor declared. Lissa giggled next to him.

"So what's the plan?" Anna asked. Gaius could already see her mentally making plans for the job.

"We're running the Plegian Switch con," Gaius said with a smirk. Morgan and Anna nodded, while the others looked on blankly. And that was to be expected, con names really only made sense if you were a con artist.

"For those of you who do not know, here's the plan…" Gaius began with a slight smile.

* * *

The Hideout  
Anna Cassidy

"Solution is a top notch organization. Everyone is trying to move up in the system. That makes it easy for us to go unnoticed," Anna said as she adjusted the red tie on her black suit she'd changed into. As an Anna, she had to look her best when going into a company like Solution. Making the family look bad was a big no.

"Um…how do we go unnoticed?" Lissa asked. She had her suit on just like Anna.

Anna walked over to her examined the young girl. After a moment of contemplation, she loosened Lissa's tie and undid the top most button halfway. After rumpling up Lissa's suit with her hands, Anna nodded, "There. You look like a clueless college intern who got a job by mistake. It's only a matter of time before you're fired. No one wants to associate with you. They'll glance at you and walk faster. Granted you're part in the plan doesn't require much human contact, but better safe than sorry."

Lissa's eyes widened, "Really?"

Anna chuckled, "It's what I do for a living. Same goes for the rest of you." Anna looked at each of the members of the team in their respective clothes for the job. Frederick mirrored what Anna did to Lissa and Gaius loosened his tie a bit more.

They all wore suits, except Virion and Morgan. Virion wore one of his slightly less frilly sets of clothes and Morgan had skin tight black thief's attire. But it was at Gaius' instance that they wore suits. When asked why, he said, "When the Director is bragging about our job, we need to look in top form. Sometimes suits are a bad idea, but we need to wear them whenever possible."

Gaius nodded, "Here are the badges I faked. Hang it on the pocket of your suit." He passed them out to everyone wearing a suit. They had their faces on them. No flaws were visible to Anna. "These will get you through nearly every door except Avarige's office, but Morgan will have no trouble with that one, right?"

Morgan smirked and nodded. Sometimes Anna wondered about her niece.

"One more thing," Gaius said. He produced a small box from behind his back, "No one on my team will go out of the Hideout without style. Well, extra style." Gaius opened the box. Inside there were six pairs of sunglasses.

"It's go time," Gaius said as he put his pair on.

* * *

Solution Headquarters: Main Lobby  
Anna Cassidy

Anna walked to the front desk in the main lobby. It was a surprisingly large lobby, with a second floor as well. All businesses, even Solution, knew that an Anna visiting the headquarters is a big deal. She drew looks and stares, but no one bothered her at all. A few people walked out of her way to let Anna by. It was unspoken law to not disrespect an Anna. Because some way or another, she could mess up your business. Permanently.

That was one of the reasons it was good to have an Anna in your secret agency.

"I'm here for my three o'clock appointment," Anna said warmly to the woman at the desk. No matter that she had made the appointment about an hour or two ago. The business world knew how whimsical Annas could be.

"Ms. Avarige is awaiting you in her office," the woman smiled. "Here, scan this by the elevator and it'll let you through." The woman handed her a visitor's pass. It even had her face on it. With a deft sleight of hand, Anna switch the badge for the one Gaius had given her. The woman didn't even notice.

_I wonder if they made that pass special for me, or if they have a stockpile of Anna passes._

"Have a profitable day," Anna smiled and left. If she were here on real business, she would have taken note how nice the girl at the desk was.

"_Good work. Morgan, get into position," _Gaius said over the com link. The com link was like a small earplug that you put in your ear. Except it transmitted your voice over it to the nearby ones that the rest of the team had. They had GPS locating as well, allowing the team's Observer to keep an eye on them. Virion managed the com links, he kept static, interference and background noise out of the transmissions.

Anna swiped the card in the scanner next to the elevator and it opened. The Grifter walked inside and waited patiently as the elevator traveled up the building.

_Hmm…no elevator music. Boring!_

Once the elevator arrived, Anna stepped out and began heading toward the CEO's office. Wasn't a far walk. Once she arrived at the door, she knocked. Less than five seconds later, the door opened.

"Ah, Ms. Anna, it is a pleasure to meet you," Miriel Avarige greeted her.

_She's trying too hard. Bad form._

Anna let a small smile creep on her face. One big enough to show pleasure of being here, small enough to show that she was still serious and professional. "Ms. Avarige, would you like to show me around your headquarters here? I have a very nice business deal I would like to discuss with you."

Miriel smiled widely, "I would love to."

* * *

Solution Headquarters: Back Hallways  
Lissa Caverly

Lissa took her sunglasses off. Honestly, she didn't know how the others wore theirs without distraction. A dark hallway with sunglasses on? Stupid!

"Ms. Caverly, don't stop walking," Frederick said as he peeked around the corner. It was clear, and they continued on.

"Mr. Quinn, there's no reason for formality," Lissa said with irritation and a hint of sarcasm. She _hated_ that part of being a Princess. "How do you know the way to the server room? Do you just have that great of memory?" she said curiously.

Frederick stopped walking and looked at her, "Gaius didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Lissa asked. Once again, she suffered because of her ignorance.

"Keep moving," Frederick ordered while he explained. "Your glasses, they're a computerized SHEPHERD technology." He pointed to the button on the side on the glasses.

The Princess pulled them out, and discovered the button on the side. She pushed it and put them on again, "Woah."

In front of her eyes was a floor layout of the level she was on. On it she clearly saw where the server room was. And at that moment, she realized Frederick was a cheater. Lissa was all impressed over nothing.

"Now that's cool. Do all of you guys get stuff like this?" Lissa asked, gesturing to the glasses and the briefcase she was holding. It folded out into a computer and was less conspicuous. And it was shiny.

Frederick allowed a smile (albeit small) to show on his usually stoic features, "Ms. Caverly, you haven't seen anything yet."

Lissa lightly punched him, "Stop calling me that!" Lissa glared at Frederick.

Frederick sighed, "Fine…Lissa."

Lissa giggled, and that was cut short by the three guards in suits that sprung from behind the next corner, armed and ready to fight.

Lissa gasped and dropped the briefcase.

Frederick however, did not. He jumped forward and bashed his fist into the front guard. The Hitter followed up with another punch, the man's face, or rather nose, exploding with blood. Frederick spun about and with a flat hand chopped the next man in his jugular. The third broke the pattern and threw a punch at Frederick. The Hitter caught the punch and squeezed the man's fist until a loud _pop_. The man would have screamed over his dislocated fingers, but Frederick punched the man in the temple, sending him to the ground.

The second man got up and pulled out his hand gun. Frederick grabbed him by the elbow quickly, twisted it, and grabbed the gun. With a few quick movements, he disassembled the gun and it fell to the ground in pieces. "I don't like guns," said Frederick coldly.

The briefcase hit the ground.

Frederick grabbed it and handed it to Lissa, "Come on. We need to go."

Lissa nodded and grabbed the case. Frederick quickly threw the bodies into a nearby closet and locked the door. The two continued to the server room which was only a few feet away.

Lissa opened the briefcase and sat down, quickly plugging things in. "Plug this in," Lissa ordered, handing Frederick a complex piece of technology he had clearly never seen before. Only after careful (and detailed) explanation did he fulfil the order.

The Hacker skillfully clicked away on the keyboard. "Ha, this security is a joke! It won't take me long to begin the cloning," she chuckled. Another click of the keyboard, "Alright, I'm in. Now comes the fun part."

* * *

Solution Headquarters: Air Ducts  
Morgan Cassidy

Morgan hummed to herself as she crawled through the air ducts. She couldn't remember the name of the song though. But it was something her mother had used to sing to her. It always made her mad, why couldn't she remember anything except her mother? But she had long since accepted the fact. there was nothing she could do, after all, she'd tried bashing her head against a wall. And if that didn't help, nothing would.

Via the ducts she could get to Miriel Avarige's office and escape the cameras. Most likely, there'd be another camera in the office, but Lissa could easily take care of one camera. At least, Morgan hoped. Uncle G usually did all the technical stuff.

Morgan pushed the sunglasses further up her nose. "Bingo," she whispered and looked down. There was the vent. Just like the glasses said there'd be.

With nimble fingers, she lifted the vent cover off and set it on the other side of the new opening in the floor without a sound. The Thief took the thin rope that was wrapped around her and grabbed one of the ends. The rope wasn't thick, it was smaller than the width of Morgan's pinky.

With years of experience, Morgan attached the rope to the harness on her back and to the device that would hold her up. She put the device on the ceiling of the air duct and it attached with a snap and Morgan knew it was secure. It had been explained to her once how exactly it held her weight, but she couldn't remember. As long as it worked, Morgan was fine with it.

Morgan lithely crawled out of the opening and let the rope lower her down. The floor surely had motion sensors or pressure sensors. She couldn't get onto the floor without triggering them.

"_Morgan? Can you hear me?" _Lissa said over the com link.

"Of course I can Lissa," Morgan said as she held a finger up to her ear with the com link. The Princess could be ignorant sometimes. This was SHEPHERD tech, it wouldn't fail.

"_I disabled the motion sensors. You're good to go," _Lissa said.

Morgan let the rope lower her down even farther until she touched the ground with her toe.

Nothing happened.

"Thanks Lissa," Morgan said while she began her search for the safe. It didn't take long, it would have to be in an easy to find place. The safe ended up being in one of the most obvious places, behind a painting.

_At least it wasn't a painting of ducks._

Morgan grinned as she began to break into it. Oh, how she loved this.

* * *

The Building Across From Solution: Roof  
Virion Chandler

Virion sat on the roof of the building across the street. He had a computer that he monitored ever team member's position and the com links, and his trusty sniper rifle. As well as a cup of coffee.

The Observer and the Mastermind had similar roles. They watched out for everyone and did all the odd jobs. Except Virion shot people like an assassin.

He had the crouch of an expert marksman as he looked through the scope at the people walking in and out of Solution. It was boring at times, just boring businessmen and women.

Virion did another scan by through his scope seeing no one of consequence-

Wait.

The Observer pressed a button and the scope zoomed in. He saw a green haired man walking into Solution. But the man walking a short distance behind him was the one who caught his attention.

Virion swore softly and spoke into the com link, "Gaius, we have a problem. Kellam Anderson is walking into the building."

* * *

Solution Headquarters: Second Floor of the Lobby  
Gaius Faraday

"What did you say?" Gaius muttered slowly.

"_Look at the entrance," _Virion said.

Gaius turned to watch the doors. A man Gaius recognized as Sothe Walker stepped in. And Kellam Anderson was right behind him, just as Gaius remembered him. Every YIA agent clashed with Kellam Anderson at some point. And they all failed, and Gaius had his share of failures.

"Abort. Everyone get out of the building as quick as possible," Gaius said hurriedly.

Gaius looked toward the mark. He had been tailing Miriel and Anna for the past ten minutes. "Anna, get out of there. Now," Gaius said quietly. "You're with me, I'm behind you."

He walked away as Sothe came up to Miriel and said, "Warehouse, district three."

Gaius ducked out of Kellam's view. He knew the assassin would recognize him if he wasn't careful. Anna excused herself from Miriel's presence saying that she would be in contact again.

_I gotta get out of here!_

Gaius walked the same way as Anna and they began to escape.

* * *

Solution Headquarters: Server Room  
Lissa Caverly

"_Abort. Everyone get out of the building as quick as possible," _Gaius said.

"But I don't have everything yet," Lissa said while still cloning Miriel's computer.

"Doesn't matter. Kellam Anderson is a serious complication," Frederick said. Did he actually sound worried? "I can't take him. We need to get out. Now."

Lissa quickly unplugged the computer. She was only seventy three percent done with the cloning. But it would have to do.

There was a loud _bang! _Lissa jumped, extremely startled. Frederick had just taken a guard and bashed his head into a wall. The Hitter looked at her impatiently.

Lissa nodded and packed up the computer. This time she didn't worry about not being done.

* * *

Solution Headquarters: Miriel's Office  
Morgan Cassidy

"_Abort. Everyone get out of the building as quick as possible," _Gaius said.

"Crap," Morgan muttered. She was almost done with the safe! Time to drop all caution. Her favorite part.

Morgan slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled a small mechanical charge. A very small bomb. Perfect for breaking open a safe. But it could be quite loud. Well…very loud. Morgan made sure the office door was locked.

Morgan slipped it in between the door of the safe and set it. The Thief quickly dived behind Miriel's desk as she heard a loud _pop!_

Poking her head up, Morgan saw the door of the safe was now hanging open. She quickly grabbed all of the files inside of it.

There was a knock at the door. More like someone trying to break it down. Several more bodies seemed to collide with the door.

Deftly detaching the device that held her rope, she attached it to the wall next to the window with a reckless plan in mind. Her favorite.

"Thank Naga there's a forest behind this building," Morgan breathed as she began to run. She brought her arms in front of her face as she crashed through the window, laughing all the way and running down the building with practiced ease.

* * *

Streets of Ylisse  
Stahl Donivore

Stahl took yet another sip from his highly caffeinated coffee. Staying awake was his priority, because he needed to be awake to arrest Sothe.

The whole affair was quite pathetic for the YPD. First, a prisoner escaped. Next, they weren't able to catch up to him immediately. And lastly, they were still looking for him. The man was barely trying to hide, he kept popping up on CCTV cameras sporadically throughout the city. The only progress they made was setting up a blockade around the city to stop Walker from escaping.

Stahl's phone rang again. Heather picked it up, clearly annoyed. She may have been new to the force, but she knew incompetence when she saw it. "Yes?" she said with the patience of a woman who'd been waiting for several hours. And Heather could get _very _impatient. Stahl had been on the receiving end several times.

Stahl stopped at a traffic light, bored of seeing the same streets over and over again. Seeing that the red light wasn't going to change anytime soon, he glanced toward Heather.

The blonde finally perked up, "Sothe is in front of Solution Headquarters. Drive. Now!"

Stahl smirked and turned on his siren with pleasure. He slammed on the gas and shot through the thankfully clear intersection.

"Holy-" Mia said from the back seat as she slammed into the back of Stahl's seat.

"Stahl, one more thing," Heather said. "They sent a picture of who he was with." The detective flipped the phone towards Stahl who spared a glance.

He did a double take.

"Shit," Stahl said, deflating and nearly swerving.

"What?" the two women said at the same time.

"That's Kellam Anderson. To put in lightly, he's an assassin with a perfect track record," Stahl said. "Call the precinct. We need every available officer down there. And send Legault the picture you just showed me as well as the location."

"Um…Boss? How do you know an assassin?" Mia asked nervously.

Stahl's fingers tightened on the steering wheel subconsciously. He swallowed, "That's a story for another time Mia. We have work to do. Just take my word for it that he's extremely dangerous."

Mia nodded and let the question die. But Heather stared at Stahl from the corner of her eye. Stahl knew he'd hear about this some other time.

_I am not going to deal with this now._

* * *

Solution Headquarters: Outside the Building  
Heather Starr

Heather jumped out of the squad car as Legault and Matthew pulled up near them. Legault walked up to Stahl and had a whispered conversation with the Detective Inspector. Heather eavesdropped a bit, an old bad habit that she was in no hurry to dispose of.

"This picture is a joke, right?" Legault said. His hands were actually shaking.

_I guess Mr. Secret Agent Man isn't as cool as he thinks he is._

Stahl shook his head, "I called for all the backup I could."

Legault snorted, "I won't be enough. Kellam Anderson is no small time criminal."

"And HBI should be focusing on taking him down," Stahl said with irritation and another emotion Heather couldn't place.

"They're having better luck than _you_ ever had," Legault said coldly.

Stahl didn't reply, "We're going in. Come with or don't."

Heather looked around, there were several more police cars around the building. And about thirty police officers got out of said cars. Pretty good number for the short notice, Heather supposed. But after hearing that conversation, the confidence Heather had had wilted somewhat.

Stahl walked forward toward Solution, "We're going in now." He had his gun out.

"Guns?" Heather said with not a little bit of shock.

"I'm hoping we won't need them," Stahl said. "But with Kellam Anderson, one must take precautions."

Heather took her gun out slowly. She'd never killed anyone, and she didn't want to either.

The team of detectives spearheaded the YPD force as they walked toward the main doors. Civilians seemed to get the hint and none were in sight. Two people walked out of the doors. Heather bumped into the orange haired one.

"Sorry there, Goldilocks," the man said with a sheepish grin.

Heather glared at him, "Don't call me that. It's Heather."

The man nodded and gave a salute, "I shall remember that cupcake. Have fun with whatever you're doing Heather." He turned around and accompanied the Anna he was walking with.

Heather just shook her head. "Men," she muttered quietly.

Stahl pushed the door open and reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge. Walking into the lobby, he shouted, "YPD! Nobody move!"

Heather scanned the second floor of the lobby and saw Sothe Walker talking with a woman whose face Heather knew from the news, Miriel Avarige. The pair was quite conspicuous.

The two glanced at each other, then said something quietly, and began to walk away.

Heather made to run after them, but Stahl stopped her. She looked at where Stahl's eyes were. The man from the picture stood in front of them, a slight smile on his face. Heather hadn't even noticed him.

"Well Detective Inspector, are we going to do this the hard way?" Kellam said, his voice held no emotion. Heather realized the grin wasn't even legitimate. It was mocking.

Stahl's reply was to lift his gun toward Kellam. The assassin chuckled, and his hand flashed. An echoing _crack_ filled the room as Kellam now held a smoking gun. To Heather's right, an officer fell over. The assassin reloaded the pistol and put it back into its holster.

Stahl blinked as he refixed his gun on Kellam after having let it drop during the shot from Kellam. But Kellam didn't waste time like Stahl did. Suddenly two pistols were in his hands and twelve shots from both sounded off. Kellam let the clips fall to the ground as twelve officers fell to the ground. Heather found herself mentally thanking fate that none of the team members were hit.

She proceeded to mentally slap herself.

Heather bent down to one of the officers nearby, the bullet pierced his neck in a way that he died without a scream. The blonde detective checked another detective, a woman she'd seen around the precinct a few times. She died the same way.

Heather nearly threw up. _All_ of them had died this way. There had been no screams. She fixed a stare on Kellam. He met her eye contact and grin curled upward.

"Let me go Stahl. It'll be better for the both of us. My contract is up anyway. I'm done here," Kellam said quietly.

Stahl's arm was shaking as he pointed the gun. The brown haired detective let the gun slip from his fingers. It fell to the ground with a clatter.

"No one follow him. It's not worth it," Stahl said in total defeat. Heather couldn't believe her boss could ever sound so…helpless.

Kellam walked to the exit with that same grin, "Don't worry Stahl. You didn't get me then, you didn't get me now. Just accept that you're a failure."

Heather saw Stahl's hands form fists, but he did nothing.

Kellam laughed and left through the doors nonchalantly.

It took a minute for Stahl to recover. And Heather didn't blame him at all. But when he did, he said, "Everyone…gather up our fallen friends. I'm going after Walker."

Heads around him nodded. Stahl motioned to the team to follow him.

* * *

The YIA Van  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius looked through the files Morgan had stolen inside the large van Frederick was driving. Things were worse than he'd thought. Much worse.

"What's the verdict?" Virion asked, a small smile tugging at his mouth with the joke. But upon seeing Gaius' expression, it soured.

Gaius sighed and looked at the team, "Miriel Avarige is affiliated with a terrorist group. She plans to release a deadly disease into the Ylissean public as an act of terrorism."

Lissa gasped, "Wh-what do we do?"

Gaius popped a sucker into his mouth, "I think I know where she is. Frederick! Start heading to district three! And step on it, we don't have much time!"

* * *

?  
Robin Sterling

Robin leaned his cane next on the table. He didn't need a cane, but it was more for the classy look of it.

"Sir, there's something that's come up," Ishtar said from the doorway.

Robin turned towards her, more or less disinterested, "…And?"

"Avarige is going forward with her plan. She wants our help," Ishtar said. The woman had that poker face Robin had taught her. It made him smirk.

Sterling thought for a moment, "…No, let her do it by herself. I want to know if these new agents from the YIA are any good. Tell her she has my full confidence and to go forward."

Ishtar nodded and left. Sterling smirked and leaned toward a phone next to him and hit the speed dial.

"Tharja? Contact Kellam. Tell him I have a job for him in the near future…..Yes, it'll be one he'll like…"

* * *

**Author Note: ****Read this! For the next few days I will not have wi-fi. So any reviews, PMs, and new chapters I will get to when I get back from my vacation. I am not ignoring you. Worry not. But at least I got this chapter done in time.**

**I'm not quite satisfied with this, and you might not be either. But I will say one thing, every other Job will have much more thought put into it. This first one was for establishing characters and their roles. The real bad guys (Like Kellam Anderson) and relationships (AKA Romance) will be in all the rest of them. And this is probably the shortest job. Well…Job #3 is looking kinda short. But you'll like that one. Trust me.**

**Alrighty! I'm calling out to you readers! Are there any characters you want to see in this fic from past FE games? Tell me, and I'll try my best to include them! (Hell, I might even already be planning to have them). And also, any ideas you have I'm willing to hear. ****I **_**want**_** to hear them.**** But do note, it wouldn't be fair if you know what was going to happen. So I'll put a twist on it (Example: COOKIECHEESEMAN wanted Ishtar in and he gave me a cool idea. I'm running with it, but I'm also throwing a…ah, complication that he won't know about. So request away!)**

"**The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones."**

**-Wax, The Alloy of Law**


	4. Solution to the Problem Job III: Finale

Disclaimer: It is to my deepest displeasure that do not own Fire Emblem.

* * *

The Problem to the Solution Job

Part III: Finale

Sector Three: Warehouse  
Gaius Faraday

Ylisstol was divided into four sectors. The city was circular, and the four sectors were divided equally. And sector three was certainly the shadiest of the four. So naturally, that's where the Crew tracked Miriel and Sothe to.

They drove up to a small warehouse that looked unguarded, but had several men hiding around the building.

_Of course it's a warehouse. Why must I always suffer these damn clichés?_

Gaius sat on the back of the van, the back doors hanging open exposing the high tech equipment they had. Around him stood his crew. "Alright, we're going to make this nice and quick. Princess, I want you to take control. Every camera, every possible method of detection I want you to control. This warehouse is yours, do not let anyone else try and take it.

"Freddy Bear, you're going to clear out every guard you see. No mercy, I will not have us being kind to terrorists. Kill them if you want to, but whatever you do, make sure to hide the bodies.

"Red, you're in charge of the com links, keep an eye out for us. And as for Morgan and Ruffles, you two are with me. Ruffles, get your most intimidating gun. Morgan," Gaius began. "You need to stand like this." Gaius applied his weight evenly between his feet and folded his arms. He took on an emotionless expression that made him look very dangerous. "Both of you wear your sunglasses. I'll do the rest. Let's go take down a terrorist."

* * *

Sector Three: Warehouse  
Anna Cassidy

"You're pretty good with computers I guess," Anna looked over Lissa's shoulder. None of it made sense to her, but by the ease Lissa had and the speed she operated at, that was her only conclusion. Her hands were in no way tense, and her expression was relaxed. Anna mentally smacked herself, sometimes she let her Grifter senses get out of control.

Lissa smiled but didn't stop working, "I had lots of time to practice. Being cooped up in the castle had some advantages." She squinted at the screen, "Bingo. I'm in, but it looks like someone's here to stop me. I think I can take him."

Anna fell silent, not wanting to distract her. But that silence was short when Lissa spoke up, "So what's the deal with you and Gaius? Are you two a couple?"

If Anna had been holding something, she'd have probably dropped it. The Grifter turned back towards Lissa, "What gives you that idea?"

Lissa chuckled as she clicked away on her computer, "Oh, just the way you look at each other, how you always sit next to each other. And other things." Lissa winked without looking away from the screen.

Anna wrinkled her nose, "He's my best friend. We've known each other since we were five years old. That's just weird."

"How'd you meet?" Lissa said, her brow furling as she began typing faster. Now Anna was seeing the tenseness in her hands and expression. Nervous.

"Well, we'd both just started school for the first time. It was lunch time, and I had a piece of candy in my lunchbox. I had just unwrapped it, and _bam, _there he was. You should have seen his face, it was like he was thirsty and I was withholding water. Gaius begged me for it, and in the end, he offered me a gold coin for it." Anna smirked to herself as she reached into her pocket and flipped that coin in her fingers.

Anna laughed, "We became fast friends after that. It was probably for the best, I kept his stealing habits under control and he, well, he _tried _to satisfy my love of gold. Though that probably encouraged his stealing. Looking back on it, it's no surprise that we're con artists."

"…Yep, you should be a couple," Lissa said, the nervous tension still in her features. "But I'll need to cut the story short, this guy is actually really good. He almost locked me out a minute ago."

"Can you take control?" Anna asked. She didn't really know what Lissa meant by locked out, but it couldn't be good.

Lissa spared Anna a look, "I don't know. This guy…his style is familiar. This might turn really bad. Really quickly."

"Do you know him?" Anna cocked her head. Though she resisted putting a finger on her chin. A Grifter with habits like that was a bad Grifter.

"Brady Jensen… more commonly known by his screen name: Pandemonium," Lissa said, not even looking away from the computer for a moment nor ceasing her keyboarding. "Every hacker worth anything knows about him. He creates chaos, and then takes control. He's one of the best."

"So what does that mean?" Anna asked with worry.

"It means we'll be lucky if I can hold him back and buy some time. Better tell Gaius I'm losing control," Lissa said. "He's going in without my eyes on everything."

* * *

Sector Three: Warehouse  
Frederick Quinn

Frederick felt the familiar feeling of his fist colliding with a face.

Frederick looked around and brushed the dust off his shoulders. Looking his best was something he agreed with Gaius about. They were professionals after all. And professionals wore suits. And sunglasses.

"_Um…guys? I just got locked out. We don't have the cameras," _Lissa's quivering voice said.

"_Understood. Try to get back in. But I can make do with it," _Gaius said. _"Frederick. Find the other Hacker and take him out. And everyone, keep in mind that we're operating blind for now."_

"Understood," Frederick said. The Hitter looked around feeling slightly helpless. There were no other cars around so Frederick didn't know the first place to look. Hackers were a sort Frederick couldn't hope to understand.

So he did a very unfrederick like thing, and asked for help.

"Lissa, if you were not in the van, where would you hide?" Frederick said quietly.

* * *

Sector Three: Warehouse  
Gaius Faraday

"Alright you two, the both of you need to look as intimidating as possible. I do the talking," Gaius said, adjusting his tie on his suit. The Mastermind missed his green sweatshirt. Even though he made them wear suits, it just wasn't Gaius' style.

Virion smirked knowingly, "You're doing your gloating thing, aren't you?"

"Hush Ruffles, don't ruin my game," Gaius said. "And to answer your question, no. I'm doing a capstone." He checked his holster under his arm to make sure Morgan hadn't stolen it. The car keys were gone, but Gaius didn't need those right now.

Virion snorted, "As if that's much different."

"Uncle G? Something's going on," Morgan said, peeking through the large warehouse doors.

Gaius looked through as well, and he saw the marks arguing. That meant they didn't work well together and were only on the same side due to circumstances.

_Perfect._

"I don't think this is a good idea Avarige," Sothe Walker said. "We should wait for Sterling to show."

"Quiet you insolent fool! Sterling gave us the go ahead, so we're using this," Miriel pointed to a strange device behind her. Probably for releasing the disease, Gaius supposed. "I will not you stop me from making my name live in history!"

"If Sterling was truly with us, he'd be here. I think he's abandoning us," Sothe said in a quieter tone. "And you just don't want admit it."

"Alright," Gaius said having heard enough to know what to work with. "Follow my lead." The Mastermind walked in through the doors.

He pulled out Farina's custom gun from his holster. She had programmed it so it would only let him shoot it. Anyone else would receive an electric shock. It would also be a giveaway when Morgan had stolen it. Gaius then reached for one of his fake IDs and showed it to the arguing pair, their expressions becoming far more serious, "World Intelligence Association. Under my jurisdiction, you no longer have rights. As terrorists, you are expected to keep quiet and come quietly. Any violence on your part will result in one of my friends shooting you." Gaius gestured to Morgan and Virion.

"WIA doesn't have jurisdiction here," Miriel said snidely. "You can't arrest us."

"The WIA has jurisdiction everywhere. We are independent from every country and organization. We operate on our own to keep the peace," Gaius said, and his voice had changed with the disguise. Instead of the usual swagger in his voice mixed with cheerfulness, he'd adopted a cold, harsh authoritative tone. The kind a boss used to get people to do what they wanted. And the kind every WIA agent had the ability to do.

"But you can't stop us," Sothe said, his confidence regaining. Despite having been in prison, he still had a police officer's bravado.

"From doing what?" Gaius quirked an eyebrow while smirking coldly. "I see a few two year olds fiddling with daddy's equipment. I should be back in my office, not babysitting dumbasses."

Miriel fumed, "We are going to spread this disease. I _will _see it done."

"Disease?" Gaius said expectantly. "What's it going to do, make me cough?"

"It's the Valmese Bird Flu, reputed to have killed over fifty million people," Miriel said angrily. "You won't be able to save yourselves."

"Why? Why do you even do this?" Gaius said, this time with genuine curiosity. "Kill that many people. If you're bottling up anger, just take it out on some street rat robbing liquor stores to satisfy his addiction." Gaius felt a little sick, having to resort to insulting homeless kids. But WIA agents were the best of the best. The toughest of the toughest. The cruelest of the cruelest. The ones he knew would calmly stoop to that level.

"Robin Sterling, he says this is one of his warmup acts. He said he wanted Ylisse to taste what he's capable of," Sothe said. "And we'll see it done."

"And what are you, Sterling's finest?" Gaius said, letting a small chuckled pass his lips to come across as skeptical.

"Yeah we are! What's so funny about it?" Sothe said while Miriel nodded furiously. "We're the best, and that's why we've been trusted with this. Do you see anyone else?"

Gaius was openly laughing, "Naga, you two are stupid. First off, you didn't notice this." Gaius held up a recorder in his hand. He'd recorded the entire conversation. With a click of a button the recording stopped.

"Second…well, let's just say the good Detective Inspector hiding over there is lucky that you two are so incompetent," Gaius said while looking over his shoulder with a smirk.

* * *

Sector Three: Warehouse  
Mia Meridas

Mia didn't even know the WIA agent, but she knew he was good. They'd arrived ten minutes ago and overheard the entire conversation. And when the agent called out Stahl, Mia had actually gasped. The purple haired woman had thought they were in a good hiding place. It only served as a reminder that she still had far to go.

Stahl stood up, glaring at Sothe and Miriel, "Thank you agent, we can take this from here." The agent nodded, still laughing slightly

Suddenly Sothe pulled a gun out and pointed it at Stahl. There was a loud _bang!_

Sothe screamed.

Prosecutor Virion was pointing his sniper rifle and Sothe was bleeding from his arm and laying on the ground in pain. "I'll handle the machine," he said as he walked over to whatever was supposed to release the disease and began to dismantle it.

_So Prosecutor Virion is a secret agent…cooooooool._

Heather threw the purple haired girl a pair of handcuffs and gestured to Miriel. Mia bounded over and locked the glasses wearing woman up while ignoring the glares that came from the redhead. Heather did the same for Sothe, though with his injury he probably didn't need it. But Heather always like to take extra precautions with men.

The orange haired agent walked over to Stahl and handed him the recorder, "I trust you can make use of this, Detective Inspector. And I also trust that we were never here, correct?" The agent raised an eyebrow towards him.

_It's just like a movie!_

Stahl nodded, "Thanks. Your help was invaluable."

The agent nodded, "Stay vigilant detective, there's a storm coming. This was but only the beginning. The WIA can't be everywhere."

Stahl nodded, "We'll let you go then."

The agent nodded and his two friends left too. The redhead winked at her and Prosecutor Virion carried the machine in pieces.

"Let's get these two back to the precinct then. I'll drive," Stahl said, and he sounded much happier than after his encounter with Kellam. "Let's go tell Chief Gregor that our team was a success."

* * *

Sector Three: Warehouse  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius laughed, "That went better than I expected."

"Do you often impersonate a WIA agent?" Frederick asked. "I imagine they'd hate that if they knew."

"Only on Tuesdays. But more importantly, did you get that Hacker?" Gaius asked.

Frederick shook his head, "He ran. I saw him, and it was certainly Pandemonium. I'd recognize him anywhere."

"That's fine. This tells a lot, Sterling is stepping up his game if he's hired Kellam and Pandemonium," Gaius said.

"Indeed. I'll take it as a compliment," a new voice smirked.

Gaius stiffened visibly, and turned around in a blink of an eye, his back to the black van. The newcomer had a combination of a smirk and a sneer. With his white hair, it looked to Gaius as if he had never changed.

Robin Sterling would always be a threat.

"Congratulations, you got rid of two idiots that were of no use to me. So what, time to celebrate?" Robin sneered. "Can I join?"

Gaius had no hesitation as he pulled the gun from the holster and pointed it directly at Robin's face. "It was a mistake coming here Sterling," Gaius said with little emotion. "I wouldn't think that you'd be so stupid."

Robin laughed, "You can't shoot me. Not if you want any of your friends to live. My team is superior to yours in every way. Ishtar has her sights on you, so does Kellam. Tharja is just a short walk away from us with twenty of my men. And even Pandemonium has hacked your car. It'll blow up with my signal. Shooting me should be your last objective."

Gaius swore, but held the gun level, "At SHEPHERD we're taught to make necessary sacrifices. But you know all about that, don't you?"

"But that's not the Faraday way, is it?" Robin smirked.

Gaius stood still for several long seconds, then lowered the gun. Robin clapped his hands mockingly, "Very good Gaius my friend. I let you win this one. But next time, you won't be allowed to succeed. You and your team better brace yourselves."

"We will stop you at every opportunity," Virion spoke up. Gaius had almost forgotten that this fight was just as much Virion's as it was his.

Robin Sterling laughed in a way only Robin Sterling could laugh, "If I wanted someone to try and stop me, I'd take on a true challenge. Tell Stefan I'll go toe to toe any day. But until then, continue to struggle on." Robin turned around and flipped his cane in his hand and walked away whistling a tune.

"I can take him down from here, just give me the word," Virion muttered to Gaius, the anger evident in his voice.

"Don't. While it may be a bluff about his team, I'm not chancing it," Gaius said. "But we do need to be careful. Sterling wasn't trying that time. But next time he will be. And we'll be ready."

* * *

?  
Lon'qu Zalman

_Three….two….one…._

Lon'qu ducked to the door as the rotating camera passed by giving him a two second window. The lock of the door had a computerized lock, but with the help of some WIA tech, it clicked right open. The agent slid through the office building doors.

Lon'qu looked behind his back and gestured for Ranulf to follow him. Both were members of the WIA sent to do two things. Retrieve information, and if possible, kill their target. The former was more important.

Lon'qu screwed the silencer onto his handgun. Ranulf did the same. Ranulf whispered, "Two Hitters inside on the right. Ex-PSI."

Their mark had a history of hiring people that had dropped from the Plegian Security Institution.

Lon'qu nodded, he pointed at Ranulf. Ranulf nodded and pulled the hammer back on his gun silently.

The blue haired man dived around the corner, and at the same time he fired two silent shots from his gun. The two Hitters hit the ground with barely a sound.

Lon'qu passed over the bodies wordlessly. The two agents quickly ascended the stairs of the large building. Their mark was currently residing at the top of an office building according to their Observer.

Lon'qu whispered into the com link, "Observer, what's the view?"

"_Three ahead. Elevator to the left, two outside, one in. I can get you to the top floor if you get inside," _came the Observer's level voice.

"Copy that Observer. Keep me posted," Lon'qu breathed. He glanced at Ranulf and nodded. The blue haired man grinned and reloaded.

The two Hitters stealthily got close to the elevator guards. Lon'qu set the nearby one in his sights and clicked the trigger.

The first guard hit the ground. The second realized what was going on, but by then it was too late. Ranulf's gun delivered to him his death.

He nodded at Ranulf and the Hitter pressed the elevator button. Lon'qu pointed his gun at the closed door.

Three seconds later the door opened, revealing a guard. Lon'qu shot the man dead. He pulled the corpse out of the elevator and the two Hitters walked in.

Ranulf spoke into the com link, "Observer, the letters are in the envelope. Time for the postman to pick them up."

Lon'qu rolled his eyes, but Ranulf was right. This was a top secret job, they needed to be careful. And that meant talking in code.

"_Roger that, the package is in the mail," _the Observer said.

Lon'qu felt the elevator begin to move. He glanced at Ranulf, "Reload."

The two reloaded their guns as the number on the elevator climbed to floor number thirty.

"Package will be received in three…two…one…" Lon'qu began. After the count of one, the door opened.

Lon'qu lifted his gun as Ranulf did the same and opened fire. The two guards outside of the entrance didn't stand a chance as both had bullets pierce their hearts.

"Go," was Lon'qu's one word order. Ranulf nodded.

The two cleared out the small area around the elevator. The seven guards that had been there all were piled into the elevator.

"Move on," Lon'qu said quietly. Footsteps sounded behind them.

"Or maybe not," came an annoyed voice.

Lon'qu turned around to see their mark. Robin Sterling stood there holding his cane, "I guess WIA is forced to deal with me, huh? Something about the incompetence of the YIA?"

Lon'qu didn't hesitate to shoot Sterling. But the bullet went right through him!

"Projection. Really Zalman, did you think it'd be easy?" Robin sneered. Robin disappeared.

"Shitty little rat," Ranulf growled.

"Let's split. We can take him," Lon'qu said.

* * *

The Office Building  
Robin Sterling

Robin chuckled as he shut off the projector. The white haired man jumped off the chair and grabbed his cane, flipping it in his hand.

He walked out of the tech room and stood still, listening hard. He heard the sound of his men's gunshots. Seemingly a good place to start, Robin headed there.

Upon pure instinct, he ducked at a slight noise. A silenced shot struck the wall behind him as he saw the blue hair of one of the agents whisk by.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," Robin muttered. He heard the same noise again and swung his cane in that direction. The cane was reinforced with steel, so it made a perfect blunt instrument.

To his surprise, but satisfaction, he heard a cry of pain. Robin had hit the blue haired man in the head.

Robin smirked as he pointed the cane at Ranulf, "Your kind never learn. But there's one thing you should know before I kill you. I'm Robin Sterling," the end of the cane popped up, revealing a crosshair and opening in the base of the cane, "and this is a guncane."

Robin clicked the trigger and shot Ranulf through the head.

On the other side of the floor, there was a crash. A man ran into the room, "Sir! The WIA agent jumped out of the window."

Robin ran to the other side of the building where the man jumped. Staring down, he saw a helicopter begin to ascend from where it had caught him and flew away.

Despite himself, Sterling raised an eyebrow, "He'll live. Let him go and come clean up this mess." Robin gestured to the dead agent. "We need to get out of here, it isn't safe anymore."

* * *

The Solution to the Problem Job

Mission: **Accomplished**

* * *

**Author Note: Our introduction is now complete. But now it is on to bigger plots and missions. And Sterling was right, the missions will be getting bigger and longer.**

**So in this story there'll be several teams that are good to keep track of. There's our main characters (Gaius' team), there's the detectives too. And then there is Robin's team. And Colby and Stefan each have a team, and those two you'll just have to wonder about!**

**Now you've seen our reoccurring bad guys, Robin, Ishtar, Tharja, Kellam, Pandemonium, etc. A few more may crop up. At least one of them will be involved in each job from now on. Except one or two maybe.**

**You may have noticed that the YPD didn't get much screen time in these four chapters. That will change, I was waiting to give them the spotlight until Leila was back. And she's back next chapter, so huzzah!**

**PSI is pronounced like Psy. Like Psyduck.**

"**Looks like today we're clocking out early."**

**-Reno, Final Fantasy Advent Children**


	5. The Big Bang Job I

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem

**From this Job onward, I am pleased to say there will be a Guest Star in every chapter! Each Job will involve the Crew, plus one (possibly two) more character(s)!**

* * *

Job #2: The Big Bang  
Part I

Plegia City's Streets  
Stefan Gerrard

Stefan rode in the unmarked car through the streets of Plegia City, the country's capitol. He had just been at the Capitol Castle with the woman he had under his protection for an important meeting.

Exalt Emmeryn Caverly was someone whose protection he wanted to see to personally.

The Exalt sat next to him in the small limousine. In Stefan's opinion, she was sitting a little too close to him for comfort. And while he took pride in the fact that he wasn't some mindless man who followed his superior's orders and never talked back, telling Emmeryn to move over probably wouldn't fly well.

A loud snore snapped Stefan from his thoughts. The man sitting across from him was a member of his team: Mark Strife. The man was an oddity. He had no acting skills, yet he was Stefan's Grifter. But when the man was in the process of conning someone, he was flawless. But when he tried for personal interest, he failed. Miserably. It was quite funny to watch sometimes.

Normally, Stefan wouldn't tolerate Mark falling asleep in front of their Exalt. But when seeing the expression on the Ylissean-Plegian ambassador, Stefan felt like he could allow it. Innes' expression was something that was absolute disgust. And none of them really liked Innes (Emmeryn included) so they all took pleasure in Innes' displeasure (Emmeryn included, but she'd never admit it).

The driver of the limo was another member of Stefan's team: Kris Holst. The Hitter was one of the best Stefan had ever seen. The man's photographic memory was the reason why he was the driver. Kris memorized every possible escape route he saw when driving. When Stefan's team needed to protect someone, Kris always came along whereas some of Stefan's team weren't always needed.

There was a gasp in front of Stefan. It seemed like Innes had had enough of Mark's snoring and he pushed him out of the seat. Emmeryn tried (unsuccessfully) to hide her chuckle. Stefan merely rolled his eyes as Innes glared at Mark.

"I wasn't sleeping!" the brown haired man said. Mark proceeded to yawn and start to fall asleep again. Though Stefan mentally cut him some slack, he'd been keeping Mark busy of late.

"Stay awake Strife. No more sleeping on the job," Stefan sighed. "Besides, we'll be back before long."

"Sorry Stef," Mark said guiltily while Kris' laughter could be heard from the driver's seat. Knowing Kris, he would be making fun of Mark for a while.

* * *

Plegia City's Rooftops  
Kellam Anderson

Kellam assembled the sniper rifle with calm efficient ease. He stood on one of the many rooftops of the various buildings of the Plegian City. All through the city were neon lights and moving people. Plegia had recovered from the war quickly, and their capitol city had become a city that truly never slept. And that meant everything from casinos to big businesses.

Kellam pulled out his smartphone and memorized the picture that was flashing on it. The assassin flashed a rare grin, Sterling had said he'd like this job. And Robin Sterling was right, Kellam hated these types of people. And that's why people like Kellam existed. Though Kellam could count on one hand how many people were even close to as good as him.

Kellam crouched down, not like he normally would because no one in Plegia City ever looked to the roofs. There was no need for stealth. This was just cold, clean and efficient business. So that meant no stealth and all accuracy. Besides, he was naturally stealthy.

The assassin spoke into the com link, "Next phase initiate. Tail them. Move in at the planned time." So Robin wanted him to organize a fall man. It didn't matter to Kellam, assassinations were his business and plots were Sterling's.

Kellam looked through the sniper scope and spotted the black limo traveling without haste. Kellam was surprised the Exalt herself had come here, Kellam had to admit she had guts. Most of Plegia would be happy to murder Ylisse's leader. But of course, she was with Stefan Gerrard. And that meant safety from everyone except Kellam.

How Kellam wished he could just shoot Gerrard now! It would make things so much easier, but Sterling had been adamant. Kellam supposed Sterling had a bit of a soft spot for his old friend. Kellam was sure it would be a mistake.

The car traveled closer slowly. This wasn't even a challenge. His target was right next to the window. The bullet proof glass wouldn't stop Kellam's specially engineered sniper rifle. The assassin used every advantage he could possibly use, new weapons, blackmail, everything. There was a reason he'd never failed an assignment. Most people called it dirty tactics. Kellam disagreed, in the bitter business of assassination it only mattered if they ended up dead.

Kellam could see the light colored hair through the tinted window. Visualizing the picture of the target, he aimed as if he could see the target. And since Kellam could see their hair, he basically could see the entire person. One feature and he could pinpoint the rest of the target's features.

The crosshair fell onto the base of the target's ear. Kellam adjusted, moving it slightly down. A bullet through the neck would kill anyone at that angle. No questions asked. Just how he liked it.

Kellam's crosshair moved with the car as it slowly moved. Flawlessly, Kellam followed it without moving a hair's distance. He had years of practice, and no hesitation.

Kellam allowed a triumphant smirk to show on his features as he pulled the trigger.

* * *

Plegia City's Streets  
Stefan Gerrard

Stefan chuckled at Mark's guilty look. But that was interrupted by the shattering of the window to his left by a gunshot.

Stefan's training took over on instinct before even figuring out who was shot. He shoved Emmeryn down onto the seat and laid protectively close to her.

Only days after would he realize how scandalous the position looked.

Mark was the one who figured out who was dead. The Grifter felt the ambassador for his vitals and came up with nothing, "Innes is dead."

"Kris. Drive!" Stefan shouted. The blue haired man in the driver's seat instantly sped the car up. Civilians were forced to get out of the road as Kris drove. At times like these, they couldn't be slowed down.

Bullets hit the back window of the car. "Stef, we've got company!" shouted Kris as he swerved in and out of cars. For being in a limo, Kris was quite good at that.

"Mark! Grab me my rifle!" Stefan ordered. He turned to Emmeryn and looked at her with concern, "Are you unharmed?"

The Exalt nodded, but when she got a glimpse of Innes' corpse she froze up in fear. Stefan didn't have time for that. It would have to wait.

"Here," Mark handed the Director his weapon of choice, the rifle hidden under the seat of the limo. Emmeryn looked at the gun in surprise and Stefan grinned. No one survived in the field without more than healthy paranoia.

Stefan took it with a nod of thanks, "Kris, what are we looking at?" Stefan quickly loaded a clip into the gun.

Kris leaned to see out of his mirror, "Three cars. Men leaning out of windows with guns. At least two people per truck. Maybe more."

Stefan nodded, "Open the sun roof."

Kris caught Stefan's eye in his rearview mirror and raised an eyebrow, but opened the roof. Stefan took a deep breath and nodded to Mark.

Mark rolled down the side window and pointed both his pistols and began giving Stefan cover fire. The three knew each other so well they already knew the plan without needing to go over it. That was the sign of an excellent team.

Stefan stood up in the car so his upper body was sticking out of the sun roof. Aiming the rifle at the distracted drivers, he shot the first one. The bullet struck the man in the center of the forehead.

The driver was most likely killed instantly, he slumped back in his seat as the truck barreled into some business on the side of the street.

Stefan reloaded quickly and shot at his next target: the second car's tire.

The effect was immediate. The car rocked from the lack of support and the gunner fell out of the window he was sticking out of. The driver screamed as she tried to regain control of the vehicle. Effectively the second car was done with the chase.

The third car was a harder challenge. Stefan no longer had the element of surprise. The gunner turned towards Stefan and let loose his machine gun.

The Director wisely ducked down into the car to avoid certain death. "Kris! ETA!" he shouted as he reached under his seat and pulled out a shotgun. Like he said, a sense of more than healthy paranoia.

Kris suddenly twisted the steering wheel sharply to the right, "Thirteen minutes! Depending on who else shows up! I might be able to shave it down to eleven."

Stefan nodded and did some quick calculations in his mind, "We're splitting after I take care of this last one. Strife, you're with me. Emm, stick close to us. Kris, can you escape them if more turn up?" Stefan already knew the answer.

Kris nodded with a slightly crazed grin, "Are you doubting me Stef? I'll lose any that show up. ButI can get you a window of maybe a minute if you get this guy off me. You'll need to be quick."

Stefan pulled the hammer back on the shotgun and just said, "Watch me." He winked at Emmeryn.

The green haired man stood up and in one fluid motion pointed the shotgun at the driver's front window and pulled the trigger.

The glass shattered scaring the shit out of the driver. The car proceeded to crash in to a streetlight and was out of commission. Stefan ducked back into the car.

Kris slammed his foot on the gas pedal and sped along the road and turned into a dark alley at earliest opportunity. He slowed down enough that the three wouldn't get hurt.

Stefan, Emmeryn and Mark all jumped out of the car and Kris sped away.

"Alright, there's a YIA safe house nearby that we can hideout in until we have a way out of Plegia safely," Stefan said, already missing the shotgun he had had to ditch in the car. He helped Emmeryn to her feet.

"Is it close?" Emmeryn said in a small voice. It didn't matter if you were the leader of a nation or not, seeing someone die in front of you was serious business. Stefan knew it, and he saw it whenever seeing rookie agents.

"Somewhat. We'll need to cross through people dense areas," Mark said staring at the way they had come from in case any of the men tried to follow them. But more likely Mark was trying to figure out where exactly they were in the city.

"Alright, Mark, walk ahead and get a change of clothes for Emmeryn. And be as fast as possible. Sorry, but you're a bit too recognizable," Stefan chuckled and Emmeryn joined in, though he could tell she didn't really mean it. But he could also tell she appreciated the effort.

Mark nodded and finally put his two pistols away and walked away down the alley.

Stefan turned back to Emmeryn only to find her much closer to him than she'd been before. And before he knew it, Stefan, Director of one of the most efficient agencies in the world, was being kissed by the Exalt.

It was probably one of the better things that had happened to him recently.

"Thank you. You probably saved my life back there. I could have died," Emmeryn breathed. She was right. The bullet could have been meant for her.

Stefan allowed for a small grin, "You know I wouldn't let that happen to you."

Emmeryn nodded solemnly, but she still kissed Stefan again and he returned it.

"Someone's going to find out about us eventually," Stefan whispered.

"Hopefully it won't be Chrom. He'll probably kill you," Emmeryn chuckled.

"Nah, I'm too good," Stefan said with a cocky grin.

There was laughing behind them. The two broke apart to see Mark Strife trying to contain his laughter without success.

Stefan was quite annoyed that Mark Strife was immune to his death glare, "What's so funny." It wasn't a question.

Mark began to regain his composure and he said, "Kris owes me money. He didn't think you two were together. But I knew you were!"

"How?" Emmeryn said.

"Your Highness, it wasn't hard to spot to the experienced eye," Mark's eyes twinkled with mirth. "And I am quite good at Grifting."

"No formalities," Emmeryn ordered. "You saved my life."

"As you wish," Mark bowed, smirk still evident on his face.

"Anyway," Stefan began, "did you get the clothes?"

Mark nodded and handed a shopping bag to Emmeryn and proceeded to open one of the doors to the buildings in the alley, "Milady, your changing room awaits."

Emmeryn walked in and presumably began to change.

Five minutes passed…

And another five…

Five more…

"Is something wrong, Emm?" Stefan asked with a knock on the door worriedly.

"Um…" Emmeryn began. "I'm not sure I can go out like this."

"What do you mean?" Stefan said patiently. Something told him it was Mark's fault.

The door swung open and Stefan actually gasped. Emmeryn wasn't dressed at all like he'd thought she'd ever be. She almost looked like a…

Emmeryn looked down and wrapped her arms around herself, "I look like a stripper."

Stefan slowly turned on Mark, "…Mark?"

Mark fidgeted, "What? It wasn't like I could take a lot of time! You told me to hurry, and it was the closest thing to the checkout desk. Did you want me to steal?"

Stefan kicked Mark in the leg. Hard.

"Your coat Mark," Stefan ordered.

Mark scowled as he handed over his trench coat. Stefan knew how much the green coat meant to him. The Director gave it to Emmeryn who nodded thankfully. Though she looked far more conspicuous. But that was a minor complication Stefan could deal with.

"Alright, let's get going," Stefan said. The three companions walked out of the alley onto the busy street.

They walked down the bright, crowded street. There were no suspicious looks or anything of the sort. They had gotten lucky. Plegia City, after all, was a den of crazy people. There was always someone more conspicuous.

"Hey Stef? I think you've got some gum on your shoe," Mark said with a glance towards Stefan's feet.

The green haired man's eyes widened slightly. Stefan knew what that meant, someone was tailing them.

"Emm, slouch a bit," Stefan whispered in her ear. "Run a hand through your hair calmly."

Emmeryn slouched down so her head was below most of the strangers around them. She ran a hand through her hair naturally.

They walked for another minute on full alert before Mark said, "Gone. I think he was hoping we'd run. Not very good at his job. We're safe."

Stefan nodded, "We're almost there."

They walked a few more city blocks before Stefan turned to a coffee shop that was closed for the night. That alone was a giveaway to someone who was looking. He knocked on the door.

One knock.

Wait.

Three knocks.

Four Knocks.

And for the password.

"Seven. Four. Thirteen," Stefan calmly said.

The door opened and Kris was standing there with his gun in his hand. He chuckled and let them in.

While Mark started harassing Kris about paying his side of the bet, Stefan grabbed a phone and dialed the agency. Someone needed to get going on tracking down the killer before he got too far.

Stefan knew just the team to call.

* * *

YIA Headquarters  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius sighed. Usually he got longer than a week between jobs. It was like an unspoken rule, Stefan didn't want his agents constantly in the field.

But when someone shot an ambassador, especially a Ylissean-Plegian one, then things were serious.

The six team members sat at a rectangular table without talking. All of them were wondering what had happened that pulled them back into the field so quickly. It couldn't be a normal situation.

Henry and Cordelia walked into the conference room. Both looked tired, like they had been working all night. And they very likely could have. It was a common thing to do.

"I'm sure Agent Faraday has told you what happened from when we contacted him, but it can't hurt to repeat," Henry said. Gaius could tell the man wasn't up for any crow jokes today. "Seventeen hours ago, the Exalt and the ambassador were traveling in Plegia City after a meeting with Plegia's king. However, on their way back to the airport the ambassador was assassinated. Currently, we can see no real CAWs for the assassination." Henry chuckled despite the situation. "But as of now, we don't know if this was intended to be the Exalt's assassination, but Director Gerrard and his team have the Exalt's protection under control."

There was a knock on the door and all eyes darted to said door. It opened and a young man walked through holding a file folder. He was followed by a taller man with purple hair and a monocle.

"Mr. Talbot? Ms. Shaw? Here's the file you wanted," said the short man fumbling over his words.

Cordelia nodded approvingly while Henry turned to the team, "This is Ricken Adler, he's our trainee."

"Another one? What happened to that last intern?" Virion chuckled.

"She quit. Something about starting to see assassins around every corner," Henry shrugged with a chuckled. "I guess she didn't like the paranoia."

Cordelia turned to the other man while taking the file folder from Ricken, "Sir, what brings you down here?"

The man smiled, "I was just going to wish our newest team here luck. After all, this is where the danger starts to get real." He turned to the six people sitting at the farther end of the table. "I am Canas, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Frederick said and the other five said similar responses.

"I also came to say that Lord Caverly is on his way, he wants to speak with his sister's team," Canas said. With one last smile, he bid the team good luck and departed.

"Why is Chrom Caverly coming to see us?" Anna whispered to Gaius.

"Probably has something to do with his sister. And he is training to become a SHEPHERD," Gaius shrugged.

"He is? And they don't just take him on the spot?" Anna said with surprise. "He _is _royalty."

"That's not how Green works. We're all here because Green was impressed by us, and he doesn't really want royalty in our ranks if he can help it, so he's making Chrom Caverly work really hard so he'll be ready. Princess was an exception. She impressed him," Gaius said as Cordelia began to talk.

"We have an agent in Plegia City who will be helping you track down the assassin and who hired him or her. She says she has obtained crucial information to the whereabouts of the killer, information she has to deliver in person," Cordelia said, saying the last part with a hint of distaste. Cordelia slid the file folder across the table to Gaius.

The Mastermind opened it and said, "Lucia Devereau, Grifter and Sleeper Agent? Location, Plegia City." He closed the folder and nodded, "We'll need fake IDs to get across the border, and since this is Plegia we're going to, extra IDs wouldn't hurt in case some of ours are burned."

Cordelia nodded, "It can be arranged. You're plane tickets are in there including more details of your mission. All equipment can be taken from one of our safehouses."

Gaius nodded, "Is that all?"

"One more thing," said a new, deeper voice.

The Crew turned to see Chrom Caverly in the doorway with two bodyguards. Gaius, Virion and Frederick all stood at attention quickly. Anna and Morgan caught on and followed suit while Lissa walked forward and hugged her brother.

Chrom smiled and returned the hug. After he released his sister, he turned to Gaius. A moment passed before Chrom said, "Can I trust you to protect my sister?"

Gaius nodded, "Sir, I am one of the best. Nothing will happen to her while I'm alive."

Chrom nodded, "I hope you catch that assassin. Good luck, Agent Faraday." Chrom turned to go and motioned to his bodyguards, "Sully, Kjelle, let's go."

The three left and the Crew looked at each other with not a little bit of confusion. It was a brief and strange visit.

But they didn't dwell on anything, because they had a plane to catch.

* * *

YPD Headquarters  
Leila Gryfflet

Leila breathed slowly while stepping out of the car that Matthew had parked in the YPD lot. She had fortunately made a quick recovery from her gunshot wound, but the doctor had strictly forbid strenuous physical activity, or rather physical activity entirely for that matter.

"You okay?" Matthew said worriedly. He always worried about her. Though given his naturally carefree personality, Leila supposed he had to worry about something.

Leila leaned on him and held his hand as they walked slowly, "I'm okay. I'm glad to be out of that stuffy hospital."

"Are you sure you should be returning to work so quickly?" Matthew said, the worry still evident in his voice.

"Matthew. I'm fine," Leila let out a laugh. The sun was shining, the air was fresh, what could there be to worry about? "I just want to be back an adjusting. Stahl needs my mind more than my field skills. And I hate doing nothing."

"You're not fine, but I guess you have a point," Matthew sighed. "Just…be careful, okay?"

Leila smiled serenely and nodded. With that, the two continued walking to the main doors.

"Did you tell them I was coming back today?" Leila asked.

Matthew shook his head, "Nope. I know how you like surprises, giving and receiving."

"The nonviolent kind at least," Leila said with a smirk.

The two detectives opened the main doors. Actually, Matthew opened them for Leila, like a gentleman.

Leila was greeted by many welcome backs. She smiled and thanked them. Naga, had she missed the people. Hospitals were so…monotone.

As the approached the conference room that Stahl had taken over as their 'Team Room,' Leila turned to Matthew, "What is that HBI agent like?"

Matthew shrugged, "He hasn't really done much yet, so I'll let you be the judge of him. Ready?"

Leila nodded and Matthew walked ahead and opened the door. Leila walked in nonchalantly.

Heather and Mia immediately jumped up and ran to her ready to give her a hug. Only when the caught the expression of Matthew did they let up a bit and both of them hugged her not nearly as hard as they would have. It probably would have hurt. A lot.

Stahl nodded, "Good to have you back Leila."

Leila turned to the last man in the room, "You must be Legault." She held out her hand for him to shake.

He took her hand and returned the handshake, "I'm surprised to see you walking about."

Leila shrugged, "It was just two bullets."

Legault chuckled and settled back down into his chair.

"It's a good thing you're back," Stahl said. Leila saw the file folder in front of her boss. Stahl handed her a muffin. "We have a case. An assassination, and we'll need your mind to crack this one."

* * *

**Author Notes: Well, eventful week for FE! Robin and Lucina is SSB4. And hell, I've even decided to set aside my hate for Lucina to cheer the fact that Smash has FOUR FE characters. So anyone who knows me knows how excited I am if I'm setting aside my hate. I will totally kick ass playing as Robin.**

**But I want Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles) and Zael (The Last Story) more!**

**So. As you might have guessed (I hope you did), the guest character for this job is Lucia from FE9/10. I have all the guest characters decided, but some may prove flexible. Not final on all of them.**

**This week I'm going to recommend two fics to read while I take forever to update! The first is called**_** The Way it Must Be **_**by The Erudite. It's a story that takes place many years after Awakening and has many OCs. If any of you enjoyed Anger of a Good Man, I'm certain you'll like this! So if you go read it, give it a review! **

**And for the second recommendation, if you like Epic Fantasy books, you should read **_**Gaiden Chapters**_** by seashellsally. It's extremely well thought out and detailed. Don't expect a nice Ylisse like from the game, for this fic looks far deeper into the world of Awakening.**

**And one last thing must be said… If you are reading this, you are swood.**

"**Lightning. It flashes bright, then... fades away. It can't protect. It only destroys."**

**-Lightning Farron, Final Fantasy XIII**


	6. The Big Bang Job II

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem

**When I played FE4, I had a different translation than the one you might be used to from Awakening. So I will be using the names I am familiar with. You'll be able to understand. You're smart readers.**

**And a certain character later in this chapter is based off Sherlock Holmes. So that's why he's an arrogant assbutt.**

* * *

The Big Bang Job  
Part II

Plegia City: Airport  
Anna Cassidy

Anna hated airplanes.

Yes, they were convenient. They allowed for travel across large ranges, which in the business world was very important. The faster gold traveled, the better.

Perhaps she should make a correction. Anna hated _riding on _airplanes.

They were so stuffy! The Grifter wasn't fond of the idea of sitting next to people in close quarters for several long hours, even if she knew them well. It wasn't like she could walk around and sell things on an airplane either (She had tried that. But then came turbulence).

So all in all, she was happy when they touched down to the ground and she escaped the plane.

She may or may not have kissed the ground.

"I never imagined that you'd be claustrophobic," Virion said with raised eyebrows.

_I'd really like to strangle him with his cravat._

"I will beat you," Anna said, taking deep breaths.

Lucky for her, the YIA car they had was a van. And Anna rode the whole way with the windows open.

* * *

Plegia City: Apartment Complex  
Anna Cassidy

"Is this it?" Frederick asked as he parked the van. Frederick seemed to have taken his assignment of designated driver with enthusiasm. Though he did demand the car be perfectly clean at all times. Something Gaius learned the hard way. There was something about neatness that Gaius didn't understand. Throwing a multitude of candy wrappers on the ground wasn't the way to go.

They stood in front of a ten story building. It was a fairly wealthy apartment complex, which made sense for Lucia to live in. Not only was she a YIA Sleeper agent, but she was a Grifter. And Grifters invented the art of conning. Money was never a problem for them.

"Yup Freddy Bear, she's on the top floor," Gaius said glancing at the address written on his hand in his untidy scrawl. "But we don't need to all go up there, so me and Red will be heading up there. You four wait in the van. We'll be back in a few minutes."

Frederick and Virion nodded, and Lissa and Morgan scowled, but nodded just the same.

The Grifter and the Mastermind walked up the stairs to the door that led to the apartment building. Silence enveloped them as they walked up the many staircases to the top floor.

"Red, there's a chance that Lucia's going to try to shoot us," Gaius said suddenly as the got to the top floor. They stood behind a potted plant.

"…Why?" Anna asked.

"Well, in the business, it's good to have paranoia. Every agent gets it," Gaius said. "Two random people come to your door, chances are they're there to kill you."

"Is that why you have three locks on your bedroom door?" Anna asked with a slight smirk. Not that that could stop her.

"No, that's to protect my candy. The shotgun, two rifles, and five pistols hidden around the house are my paranoia," Gaius said sheepishly running a hair through his hair and adjusting his headband.

"…And where did you manage to hide those?" Anna asked sharply, finger on her chin.

Gaius laughed nervously, "Um…around?"

"I will find those Gaius Faraday. I won't have guns hidden around my shop!" Anna poked Gaius in the side angrily.

"Crivens Red! Only the shotgun is hidden in the actual shop! And um, the grenade," Gaius muttered the last part. But not quietly enough.

"What is a grenade doing in my shop?" Anna said with an overlay of false sweetness.

Gaius thought for a moment, then said, "Well, if a group of people were to burst into the shop to rob us, then I could trigger the switch that's wired to the grenade and it'd blow them up. I have a few friends in the police department that could fake the evidence that the grenade was the criminal's. Misfire, it commonly happens with the brand I have."

There was a very tense silence that could have been cut with a knife. Then, "You have a plan that involves blowing up my shop?"

Gaius was now beginning to fear for his life, "That's only in some scenarios. Most don't end up being that extreme."

"_Most!?"_

"Wow! Look at the time! We need to get moving!" Gaius said panicked. He promptly walked toward Lucia's apartment and knocked on the door in an effort to save himself.

Anna walked up beside Gaius and stood next to him (Taking extra care to step on his foot. Hard.) Gaius winced.

After about thirty seconds, Gaius tried knocking again. This time, the door opened after a few moments.

A tall woman with long blue opened the door. She looked at them carefully as if examining every bit of their appearance before saying, "Can I help you?"

Anna glanced at Gaius discretely. Did he see what she saw? The woman was tense, sweat covered her forehead. She was nervous. And the way she stood, favoring her right leg made it look like her left leg hurt. She was wearing a white sweatshirt that was rumpled in the wrong places. And lastly, her hair did not fit the description of what this woman seemed to be. It was tangled and messy. Not neat and controlled like a Grifter's should be.

It was a Grifter's nightmare. So many tells pointing at the same thing. This woman was not okay. Something was happening, or happened.

"Hello! Sorry to bother you," Gaius said, adopting a friendly nervous tone with a wide smile while tapping his foot in a haphazard pattern. "It's just that me and my wife here, we're new to the building-"

_Wife!?_

"-and well, I think we've taken a wrong turn. Could you maybe point us in the right direction? We have an important meeting to prepare for. Apartment thirteen?"

The woman smiled faintly, tapping on the door distractedly, "It's three doors down to the right. This is number ten."

"Thank you!" Gaius said with a wide smile. He began tapping his foot happily. Then he lowered his voice a tad, "Just curious, how safe is this place? The man who rented this apartment out said it was safe, but one resident to another, how safe is it?"

The blue haired woman chuckled, "It's safe, the couple across the hall sometimes are noisy, but that's as close as it gets to disturbances."

Gaius flashed another smile, "Brilliant. I'd hate to have to worry about someone roughing me or Anna up." Anna saw the woman's faint smile droop slightly before going back up. "Well, thanks for the help! If you ever need help, you know where we are, just knock and ask! We'll be happy to help!"

It took Anna the entire discussion to understand what Gaius was doing. To be fair, he probably had a lot of experience. But when Anna saw his foot tapping, she realized what he was doing.

The woman nodded, her eyebrows had furled though, "No problem, I'll let you know if I ever need help moving a thing or four."

Gaius smirked and stopped tapping his foot, "Pleasure meeting you! What did you say your name was?"

"My name is Lucia," she smiled faintly and closed the door slowly.

Gaius waited a moment, then turned to Anna and whispered frantically, "Agent Lucia's held up in there with four armed intruders. Probably work for the same people that had Innes killed. She needs help, and we're going to help."

"How the _hell_ did you get all that?" Anna said, surprised.

Gaius smirked triumphantly, "I noticed you saw my foot tapping. Did you see Lucia's hand tapping on the side of the door? A bit of speedy Morse Code going on Red. Us thieves need to master nonverbal communication. Giving away your position with verbal communication isn't a good thing to do."

"Should we get the others?" Anna asked.

"No time. You saw how she looked," Gaius frowned. "We may not have much time."

The Mastermind walked toward the door and slowly twisted the handle. Lucia had left it unlocked. Probably a sign to show she needed their help.

Gaius opened the door slightly, took a deep breath, and burst through it with a dive roll. Anna peeked through and was surprised at what she saw.

The four men inside all looked immediately toward the door as Gaius shot the nearest one in the head with his silenced handgun he'd pulled out when Anna wasn't looking. Lucia grabbed the man who held a gun to her head and kicked him between the legs. Gaius quickly shot the other two with dead on shots to the head as Lucia broke her captor's neck.

It had taken about five seconds.

"I'm glad you got here when you did," Lucia said tiredly. She was in worse shape than she let on. "They were professional interrogators. And in five minutes, I'd most likely be dead."

"Us SHEPHERDs need to stick together, it was no problem," Gaius said, helping her up. "But this place isn't safe, we need to get moving."

"Agreed, I trust Stefan sent you?" Lucia said shakily as she stood up from her hold over the now dead captor.

"Yep. I'm Gaius Faraday, and this is Anna Cassidy. The rest of our team is down stairs," Gaius motioned for her to follow.

Lucia Devereau stopped after stepping out of the door way. She shook her head and pulled a gun out on Gaius, "I can't trust you, Agent Faraday. Believe me, I know all the tricks in the book, and this is easily one of them. How do I know you're who you say you are? Lots of people could be pretending to be the famous Agent Faraday."

Gaius' eyes widened and he took a step backward, his hand clenching his pistol, "And how can I prove it to you?"

"Tell me something the real Agent Faraday would know. This is my first time meeting you, but I do know quite a lot about you," Lucia said with steel in her voice.

Anna watched as Gaius glared at Lucia before saying, "I guess you could say the current state of the world is my fault. Had I been a better Agent, then we wouldn't be here right now. Satisfied?"

Lucia looked at him long and hard, "Alright Agent Faraday. Let's go meet the rest of your team." She put down the gun and began to limp out of the room.

* * *

Plegia City: Safehouse  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius opened the door to the safehouse with the key he had been entrusted with (Letting Anna walk in first, of course. Always the gentleman.)

The café was one of their less secure safehouses. But even it was laced with countless security measures. On the outside it looked abandoned, and no one ever stopped by to see why. YIA made sure of that.

And Gaius was slightly surprised to see a familiar face in the dark café. The Mastermind couldn't think of a reason Mark Strife would be there.

After greeting the green clad Grifter, Gaius asked him the reason of his attendance. Mark replied with a sheepish grin, "Well…I kinda pissed Stefan off and embarrassed Emmeryn. So you could say it's punishment. But I'm only here to help you work out a plan."

The six team members plus one and Mark Strife sat down at the tables in the café. Mark turned towards Lucia, "So apparently you have information that can only be exchanged in person." His voice showed how he disapproved of the idea of meeting in person.

Lucia nodded, "I know who killed Innes Wellington."

Frederick bent forward, more alert, "So it was not an attempt on the Exalt's life?"

Lucia shook her head, "No. Innes had uncovered something important. Something a crimelord in Plegia City didn't want to be found out."

"And that is…?" Morgan prompted impatiently. Gaius smirked proudly in his mind.

"Robin Sterling is going to have PSI inside his pocket," Lucia said in a low voice. "The Plegian Security Institution has always been loyal to the King, Gangrel. But in order to get blackmail material on him, Sterling enlisted Joshua Cross. Now Innes Wellington discovered this, and has tried to secretly take down Cross. And that forced Joshua to retaliate."

"When you say 'going to have,' what does that mean?" Lissa asked, puzzled.

Mark Strife piped up, "It means that Sterling doesn't have the information from Cross yet, right? So if all goes to his plan, Sterling will have PSI on his side. And that'll make everything in the intelligence community much harder to accomplish."

Lucia nodded, "Innes went to several lengths to try and kill Cross, but he's a very hard man to kill. He even went as far to hire the Fireman, Volke."

Virion perked up, "How is Joshua alive then, fair lady?"

Of every assassin and contract killer, there were few who never failed. One was Kellam Anderson, and he was by far the best. The only one who could even stand a chance against him was Volke, and perhaps one other.

"Teaming up with Sterling means the best protection. And that means Kellam Anderson," Lucia said grimly. "Kellam Anderson is the best, Volke is the only one who could even stand a chance against him. But Volke isn't stupid enough to try and take out Anderson. He didn't take the contract."

"Did Cross send those men after you?" Gaius asked, piecing together the puzzle.

Lucia nodded, "He somehow found out that I'm with the YIA and trying to take him down. I infiltrated his organization a few months ago. I was sent in after it became known that he had contact with Sterling."

"How did Innes find all this out?" Frederick asked.

Lucia raised an eyebrow, "Innes Wellington was HBI. He was on a mission from Director Maribelle. He and I worked together for brief periods of time."

"So what now? Do we just kill him?" Morgan asked. She seemed slightly lost, but Gaius didn't really blame her.

Mark Strife shook his head, "Can't do that squirt, Cross might've told someone else the information. We need to interrogate him to find out who knows, then systematically find out who else knows."

"That seems like a lot of stuff to do. Is it even possible to get everyone," Morgan said.

Mark chuckled, "You find Cross, I'll do the rest. Well, I'll get Kris to do the interrogating. Now gather around, I know where Cross'll be tonight, and you'll need some important information I have…"

* * *

Plegia City: HBI Safehouse  
Leila Gryfflet

Leila looked around the safe house garage. The police team had come here to examine the car that the Exalt and Innes Wellington had been inside of during the murder. Apparently HBI had stashed it here for them to look at. It was an odd feeling realizing that they were called in to investigate an international affair like this.

"What do you think?" Matthew muttered while Leila inspected the glass of the windows with her pocket magnifying glass.

"This is _bullet proof glass," _she said with slight amazement. "There aren't many rifles that could pierce this. I can't even think of one offhand."

"So…?" Matthew said with a slight chuckle.

"So if we can find out what gun shot Innes, we can figure out who killed him," Leila said with certainty.

"Makes sense," Stahl said. "We'll know soon, I'm bringing in an expert to help us."

"What's he an expert in?" Legault said curiously.

"Everything. And sorry about him in advance, most people want to kill him after meeting him," Stahl said sheepishly. "But we're out of our league here. This is top notch HBI business, and we really don't qualify for that yet."

"Y'know Stahl, it couldn't hurt to have some faith in us," Heather said, a little insulted.

"On a crime of this scale, we can't afford mistakes. I trust this man, I've seen him work before. Give him ten minutes," Stahl said.

"Why? What's he going to do in ten minutes?" asked Heather.

"What indeed?" came a new voice.

Six heads turned toward the door to see a tall man with red hair. He had a rather arrogant expression on his face.

"Who're you?" Heather said after a moment.

"Alvis. Expert investigator," he said and walked right up to the closest team member which was Stahl. "Hmm, Mr. Donivore… you've got an interesting secret. I can see it from the way you stand there, hand in your pocket holding something important. You should really tell everyone, they might hate you for it if you don't if it's what I think it is, which it is."

Without letting Stahl reply, Alvis moved on to the next person: Matthew. With a quick glance Alvis shook his head, "You're rather boring aren't you? Don't know what she sees in you." Alvis pointed to Leila. "But you should hurry up before she gets impatient." Matthew's face turned red. Alvis moved to Leila, "Oh, you bad girl you. You've got a lot of skeletons in your closet. Dark secrets you want to forget huh?"

Alvis laughed and took one look at Heather and Mia and laughed harder, "You two, how do they not even notice!? It's so obvious!" Alvis quickly regained his composure and turned to Legault and shook his head, "No. Just…no. I don't like you kinds of people."

"Sorry, who are you?" Matthew asked with extreme puzzlement, his face returning to a normal shade.

"Alvis O'Hare, consulting investigator. I notice everything. For example, you're this team's expert on bombs. You want to know how I know that? It's because in your left pocket there's wire cutters. Why would a detective have those? They wouldn't. Thus, bomb disposal, only possibility."

"But I might need to cut wire fences," Matthew said.

Alvis shook his head, "Nope, you'd climb over the fence. That's why you wear flexible shoes and clothes that wouldn't get caught on a fence."

Alvis abruptly ignored them all after that and turned toward the car and began examining it very carefully. Leila turned toward Stahl and whispered, "Why is he here?"

"In five minutes he'll tell us what is would take us days to figure out," Stahl whispered back. "We need to act quickly on this case."

Sure enough, five minutes later Alvis started chuckling. He stood up from his crouched position by the back seats of the limo. "I pity you," he said, "You've got quite the killer to track down. Kellam Anderson could kill you all in a heartbeat. Probably without even thinking about it."

Leila saw Stahl stiffen next to her. "And how do you know that?" Leila asked, skeptical.

Alvis smirked, "The only sniper rifle that can pierce bullet proof glass is the Gungnir, and of all of the assassins who own one, only Kellam Anderson could shoot a man right below the ear at a distance of five hundred feet. Balance of probability, he's your killer. Might as well give up."

"And you got all that from looking at a car?" Legault said, surprised.

"It was easy. And now I have to go. I have more important commitments to attend to," Alvis waved his hand in dismissal as he left abruptly.

The six team members stood still, not really sure what to do. "Sorry, he does that. He comes in, looks at you an tells you the things you're hiding, investigates and then leaves." Stahl turned to Heather and Mia. Alvis' comment piqued his intrest, "What did he mean when he talked about you two?"

Heather wrapped an arm around Mia as the purple haired woman shyly said, "We're…in a relationship."

* * *

Plegia City: Back Alley  
Alvis O'Hare

"So, you're the one who is taking the fall for Anderson's contract?" Alvis raised an eyebrow. Even the gun pressed to his face didn't stop his deductions.

Joshua Cross frowned, "I'm not taking a fall. I'm taking credit."

Alvis chuckled, "You won't survive through next week. You'll be dead before you know it. YIA is rarely so sloppy. You've signed a death warrant for working with Sterling."

Joshua pulled the hammer back on his magnum, "I think you're the one who'd better be watching out for his life. You've given too much away to the police, and now I'll have to take care of them."

Alvis chuckled. He was pressed up against a wall, literally and figuratively. He already was dead, soon to be at least. "I know you've got that Devereau girl thinking you did it. That'll lead to your demise."

Joshua pressed the gun up against Alvis' forehead. "Sterling won't let me go. I'm too valuable."

"Tell that to all of Sterling's other 'valuable' assets," smirked Alvis.

Joshua had enough, he pulled the trigger and Alvis fell to the ground, dead.

The crimelord just shook his head, "They always meddle. Why do they always have to mess with my business?"

* * *

?  
Robin Sterling

Robin looked out over the city, a bottle of beer in his hand, "Joshua's fell for it then?"

Kellam nodded, "He thinks you want that information. But having PSI on your side is worthless. Despite their…bad qualities, they wouldn't be very useful. They're too loyal to their King. YIA will take Cross out of the picture for us."

Robin took a sip of the beer, "And that'll make them even more confident. And give us an opening for Pandemonium to slip in and control more of Plegia City since someone will have to take control. Tell me, when I was bombing that embassy a few months back, did you notice what I noticed?"

Kellam thought for a moment. That act of terrorism was important in many different ways, but Kellam didn't know which Sterling referred to. In some ways, it was the beginning of Robin's master plan.

Robin continued as if he didn't expect Kellam to answer, "There was _one_ YIA agent there. Erk Ivalice. He was one of the best Hackers I've ever seen, Pandemonium has nothing on him. Stefan put him in there confident he'd be enough. But now Stefan knows who I've got with me, and he's learned his lesson. And he also knows that Plegian authorities think Ivalice was responsible for the bombing. It won't be long before the story of how Erk Ivalice went rogue goes up. Then tensions will mount and we'll be dealing with another war soon."

"What does that mean for us?" Kellam asked.

"It means Stefan is beginning to take us seriously. Usually ten percent of his agents are focused on me. But he's got half his agents on my tail now. So there a few options that I need to decide between. I can go for the YIA List next, or I can tell Walhart to begin his gambit. Or perhaps it's time to show Agent Faraday that he can't count on his friends. Cross is no longer a priority target. You're to remove him from your hit list. I'll send you details on who to kill next."

Robin took another sip from his drink, "But I'll worry about that later. Right now, Faraday will take Cross down. Get the team in position. Pandemonium is going to take full advantage of this, tell him to start his game. And go send Ishtar in, we need to address the WIA threat. They took me by surprise last time. And it won't happen again." Sterling felt his hand tighten on the guncane while a smirk passed over his mouth.

* * *

**Author Notes: Now the two teams are investigating the same crime, and have different suspects. As for with the YPD, it's time to bring in some of the HBI. Director Maribelle will make her appearance! This job certainly has become a twisted plot!**

**Sorry if you thought Alvis was kind of dumb. But I needed to introduce the fact that the YPD has things to hide as well, And to show a glimpse of Joshua Cross. And well, I had to watch lots of Sherlock in order to get inspiration to get through this rather boring chapter.**

**And no, I don't know what I was doing in that first scene. I could think of where to start and before I knew it, I wrote 150 words of needless crap. And because I hate scrapping work, I kept it to build character.**

**Sorry for a late chapter. My brother was getting **_**married**_**. I was a **_**bit**_** busy.**

**If you enjoy this story (and AUs in general), I invite you to go check out my buddy Mattariago's community that has every FE AU story we've found! And if you have/see one that isn't there, let me know and I'll add it right away!**

**In the coming months or so, me and my buddy Pureshadow013 are going to have a bit of a surprise for you all! But I won't spoil the surprise, cause it's badass. And surprises are fun.**

**And lastly, a fun fact about this story. Whenever you see a number referring to something unimportant, it's a bit of a joke of mine. For example, Lucia's apartment building is **_**ten**_** floors high. Lucia is from FE10! Huzzah!**

******Now I got to go play Kingdom Hearts II.**

"**Find your own road to hell!"**

**-Lightning, Final Fantasy XIII**


	7. The Big Bang Job III: Finale

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem

* * *

The Big Bang Job  
Part III: Finale

HBI Safehouse  
Leila Gryfflet

"I feel kind of useless, you know?" Matthew said with a yawn.

Leila nodded, silently agreeing. They had all seen Kellam Anderson back at Solution. Each and every one of them knew there was nothing they could do. Leila was pretty sure none of them wanted to even try.

"It's a different playing field with people like him," Leila said quietly. "We've been thrown into the field without knowing the rules or the players. We'd be killed very quickly."

Matthew nodded and changed the subject, "How's the wound?"

Leila shrugged, "Fine. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Matthew looked like he wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by the opening of the door.

A woman walked in with poise. She stood up straight and looked as if she demanded their attention. She was much unlike her two companions, who both didn't seem to care much about appearances. Both looked very lax and bored.

Legault snapped to attention and saluted, "Ma'am!"

The woman nodded to him and said, "At ease." She then looked around at the team and introduced herself, "My name is Maribelle Adalric, Director of the HBI. This is Donnel Winchester and Volug Collins. The former is one of my agents, and the latter is from YIA."

Stahl pointed to the nearest person to him, "That's Mia, the woman next to her is-"

"I know who you all are," Maribelle waved a hand dismissively. "Enough chit chat, we have important business to discuss, don't we?"

Stahl nodded, "What are we to do about Kellam Anderson?"

Volug began to laugh slightly behind Maribelle. The Director shot him a look and turned back to Stahl with a tired look on her face, "There's nothing we _can _do. People like Kellam Anderson, they put our best agents to shame with their skill. Bringing him down is the YIA and the WIA's business."

"There's nothing you can do?" Leila found herself saying. HBI had to be able to do _something._

The woman glanced at her and nodded, "I will have these two," she pointed at the two agents, "tail him for the YIA. They both never seem to die, and should be able to escape."

"Now, ma'am, are ya sure we should be doin' that? 'Cause I'm not so sure me 'n Volug can handle that there guy," Donnel said. "We're not as good as ya say, ma'am."

Volug chuckled and spoke with a strange accent that made him hard to understand, "We'll be fine Donny. Let's get to work."

The two men left and Maribelle sighed, dropping her composure somewhat, "I sincerely apologize Stahl. Your team was supposed to be useful. And there hasn't even been the right case for you to handle. How about you and your team go back to your home soil and handle something local next?"

Stahl nodded after some hesitation, "Sounds like a plan…ma'am."

The two exchanged an extended look that Leila couldn't define, but then broke the connection.

_What was that about?_

* * *

?  
Donnel Winchester

"Whelp! This here seems like th' place!" Donny said with confidence.

The two agents stood directly in front of a piece of shit apartment. The kind not even in debt college students wanted to live in.

"Donnel my friend, just because it is a shady place does not mean that it is the right place," Volug said quickly through his thick accent.

"Say, where'd ya grow up? I can't say I'm familiar with that there accent," Donny said, walking up to the abandoned apartment building and ignoring Volug's comment.

"Rural Ferox. My village spoke the old tongue there. This new language…is confusing at times," Volug said.

"Hah!" Donny shouted with a smile. The door was open! "This here's a friendly place!"

Donny adjusted the baseball cap on his head so it was on backwards and walked inside.

The two carefully made their way upstairs to the third floor as according to what their asset said. Third floor, and since it was one apartment per floor, third apartment. Kellam had been seen going into it.

To a normal agent, that would have been a dead giveaway. No one _sees _Kellam Anderson.

Volug kicked the door down when they got to it with lots of noise. Neither of them really were what you'd call 'Top Agents.'

The two pulled out their handguns and walked slowly into the silent apartment. And…

There was no one there.

Donny sighed, "Dang nabit! I thought this'd be my time t' shine!"

Volug walked over to one of the tables and picked up a piece of paper. It wasn't dusty, like the rest of the apartment.

"What in tarnation is that?" Donny said as he walked over to look at it. He and Volug read it at the same time.

_Love and Kisses._

_-Anderson_

Donny was in the middle of puzzling it out when Volug tackled him to the floor. Half a second later the window shattered by a bullet.

What had the Director said? They never seemed to die. They were too lucky.

"Scatter Donnel! Make haste!" Volug shouted. And they ran for the door.

* * *

Plegia City: Rooftops  
Kellam Anderson

"Did I…_miss?!"_ Kellam exclaimed angrily. Had he been holding something breakable, it would have been thrown off the roof.

Sure enough, the two bumbling idiots had escaped.

"Gotta be fucking kidding me. I kill the best that exist and two failure excuses of agents get away?" Kellam angrily took apart his rifle to put in his carrying case.

"At least no one will believe they got away from me. No one would trust the boast of crappy agents like that," he grumbled. "Now I'll have to take a detour sometime and shut them up."

* * *

Plegia City: Cross Casino  
Morgan Cassidy

Apparently, Mr. Cross was quite the gambler. Anyone had to be to own such a big and…flashy casino.

It was the typical casino, neon lights, bright flashy signs, tons of cars in the parking lot, etc.

"Everyone know where to be?" Gaius said, popping in a piece of candy.

Everyone nodded, and they began to scatter to where the plan dictated they be. Gaius pulled Morgan aside.

"Morgan, how good are you at being scary?" he said with a slight smile.

Morgan grinned wolfishly.

* * *

Cross Casino: Basement  
Virion Chandler

Virion and Lissa sat in the basement of the casino, several computer screens in front of them. Lissa typed away while Virion issued orders over the com link.

Thankfully Virion hadn't needed to kill anyone, as since the basement was deserted. Just Lissa's computer screens lit up the room.

"Virion? What was Lucia talking about earlier? Neuro Linguistics Reprogramming was it?" Lissa asked amidst the typing. That girl was good at multi-tasking.

Virion nodded, "It's something Grifters use all the time. Our friend Lucia is very good at it though. And so is Anna. To be frank, every Grifter is."

Lissa nodded, "But what exactly is it?"

Virion paused for a moment, thinking. Then he said, "It's all about anchoring an emotion to an action or process. You know how when you do something, like brush your teeth, you might think the pain when you got a cavity filled, yes?"

At Lissa's nod, Virion continued, "And that makes you brush your teeth even harder because you can remember the pain. Now what Anna is going to do is anchor the feeling of happiness to Cross drinking his wine. Watch, she's about to do it."

* * *

Cross Casino: Main Floor  
Anna Cassidy

Anna walked behind Lucia Devereau a few steps. For the con to work, they couldn't know each other.

The main floor of the casino was very richly decorated. Of course, Cross was a very wealthy crimelord. And he valued gambling, so it made sense.

Lucia led Anna to the table in the middle of the room. But more precisely, she led Anna to Joshua Cross.

"Mr. Cross, Ms. Cassidy asked to see you," Lucia said with a formal tone. Cross regarded her with a sidelong gaze for a moment, then turned his attention to Anna with a smile.

"Ms. Cassidy, it is a pleasure to meet you," Cross said with a warm smile.

"Mr. Cross, I must insist you call me Anna. Formality isn't something I'm fond of. It may be good in my business, but not on the side," Anna giggled.

Cross chuckled, "Then you must likewise call me Joshua. I must say I'm not a fan of formality either."

Joshua glanced at his guards and then waved them away. He did the same with Lucia after giving her a brief glance. "Now what brings you here Anna? A business proposition?"

Anna shook her head, "I made a killing today. I'm here to relax, have some fun. Been a while since I had some," She suggestively winked with the latter statement.

Joshua smiled and gestured for one of the waiters to bring them some wine. "Well, I would be a horrible host if I turned down a beautiful woman such as yourself."

"I am glad that you don't seem like a horrible host," Anna grinned. The waiter brought them their wine. Joshua took a glass and sipped it.

_Show time._

As he drank, Anna smiled a fuller smile, the kind that made people smile themselves. The kind that made anyone happy. She also crossed her legs.

"So what does owning a casino all entail? Is it very profitable?" Anna said as she sipped her own wine.

For the next hour, Anna and Joshua chatted at the table on the main floor. All the while, Anna made sure to smile her signature smile when ever Joshua took a drink and at the same time she would always uncross, and recross her legs.

Whenever Joshua's wine glass ran empty, Anna was always ready to order him another. The way he took it without complaint told her she was doing a good job.

Now for the next phase.

Anna's cellphone began to ring. As planned, Gaius was calling her. Anna picked it up, with an apologetic look towards Joshua, and Gaius said, _"Begin phase two. Reel in the fish."_

Anna held her hand up to the speaker of the phone and leaned forward to Joshua, "It's my ex-boyfriend. I'm going to have to deal with this. He's such an asshole, always calling me. Tell you what, I'm in room three-two-seven, drop if you're bored." Anna winked and like a cat slinked away.

"_So I'm an asshole, huh?" _Gaius chuckled.

"Maybe. Though we haven't dated, so you can't be my ex-boyfriend," Anna chuckled, maintaining an unhappy face despite her amusement.

"_Alright. Head to your room, Red. You know what to do,"_ Gaius hung up.

Anna continued on, still holding the phone up to her ear.

* * *

Cross Casino: Main Floor  
Frederick Quinn

Frederick straightened his white bowtie as he walked toward the mark. Joshua Cross was just finishing off his glass of wine. It was good that Cross was such a heavy drinker. And that he could hold his liquor.

And Frederick put a bit of powder in each glass that made it addictive. So that could be why he kept drinking the glasses as they came.

Details.

"More wine, sir?" Frederick said with a butler's posture.

Cross nodded and reached for the glass on the serving tray. As he did that, Frederick reached his hand over to Cross' waist and lifted his smartphone off of him.

Frederick walked away, phone in hand. Cross wouldn't notice it missing for at least a few minutes. Hopefully.

As Lissa had told him, he plugged in a small device to its charging outlet. "Lissa, do your thing," he said calmly into the com link.

"_Aye-aye, cap'n!"_

What Lissa was doing, was disabling the security measures on the phone. Then she was going to clone it to a phone on her end, and reinstall the security to make it look as though it hadn't been tampered with.

"You have maybe two minutes. Three if we're lucky. Alcohol will only do so much, after all, we didn't want him utterly drunk," Frederick warned. "He's paranoid about that phone."

Lissa didn't respond, she was probably too distracted by her hacking.

One minute passed…

Then two…

Three…

"Lissa, finish it!" Frederick whispered urgently.

"_Done! Go!"_

Frederick pulled the device out of the charging port and walked very quickly back toward the mark, weaving in and out of the many people.. As he approached Cross, he saw the man move a hand subconsciously to his back pocket of his suit pants. When he didn't feel his phone, he immediately perked up.

"_Frederick, fumble!" _Gaius said urgently through the com link.

A fumble. Would it work?

Cross began looking around his chair for his phone. Frederick finally arrived at his destination and bent down by the chair, "Sir, did you drop this?" Out of Joshua's vision, he set the phone on the ground and after a quick moment picked it up and held it out to his 'boss.'

Frederick was no Grifter, his acting skills were severely lacking. There was a reason he always played the butler. Would Cross buy it? Would he catch on? Would he-

"Thank you. What is your name?" Cross said, pocketing the phone. He kept his hand near it though.

"Quinn, sir."

Frederick mentally slapped himself. Why didn't he think of a fake name!?

"Thank you Quinn. Now go fetch me another glass of wine," Cross grinned.

"Of course sir."

Crisis averted.

* * *

Cross Casino: Main Floor  
Virion Chandler

Virion straightened his cravat. "My move," he whispered with a slight smile.

Virion approached Joshua Cross and sat down where Anna had sat an hour or two ago. He gave Cross a smile.

Cross eyed him warily. The alcohol hadn't destroyed his senses yet, "Can I help you?"

Virion smiled, "Why yes, my good man. I'm looking for my significant other, Anna Cassidy. And since it's your job to know everything that goes on here, I was hoping you could tell me where she was."

Cross leaned forward, alert, "Significant other? You mean girlfriend?"

"If that's how you want to put it, yes," Virion shrugged.

"You're her ex-boyfriend?" Cross said, slightly angry.

Virion threw on a puzzled look, "If you want to be technical, I suppose, but she's just going through a phase. It'll work out."

Cross shook his head. He motioned to the nearest butler, "Quinn! Please take this guy somewhere out of sight. He's going to cause a disturbance, and you know we don't tolerate that, right?"

Quinn, or rather Frederick, nodded and smirked, "Come on you, let's get you somewhere…more comfortable." Frederick cracked his knuckles and grabbed Virion by the arm.

Out of his peripheral vision, Virion saw Cross get up and head to the hotel part of the casino.

_Perfect._

* * *

Cross Casino: Hotel Section  
Anna Cassidy

"Status update?" Anna said into the com link.

"_Everyone is in position. Freddy Bear is carrying Ruffles out. Freddy Bear'll double back. Distract Cross for only a short time. I'm almost ready to throw the manual switch. Buy me a minute or two if you can."_

"Got it," Anna said and went back to applying the finishing touches to her make up.

There was a knock on the door. Anna sighed, then threw on her flirtatious look and opened the door.

Joshua Cross stood there with a smirk on his face.

And a gun in his hand.

"May I come in?" Joshua said with a grin and walked in.

"What the hell are you pointing a gun at me for!?" Anna screamed.

Joshua laughed, "You thought I was so stupid, didn't you? You thought you could fool me, didn't you?"

Cross pushed Anna further into the room. Three men came in, one held Lucia in a choke hold. Another held Virion in a similar manner while the last had an unconscious Frederick.

"I've known Ms. Devereau was a traitor for a long time now. And the signs were there for me to pick up that the rest of you were working with her. I am quite observant," Joshua said confidently.

The fire alarm went off. The crimelord's body guards jumped a bit, but Joshua waved them down and spoke into a handheld radio, "They're trying to distract us. Grab the one who set it off, let the civilians get out though." Joshua motioned to the bed, "Sit down, Anna dear."

Anna sat down. Frederick was set down on the bed alongside her and his captor held a gun to his head.

"So, every HBI team is made up of six people. I have four here, one upstairs at the fire alarm and your Hacker is probably off site. I suppose I can settle for five out of six," Joshua chuckled. "That's eighty-three percent."

Another one of Cross' goons came through the door holding a beat up Gaius. He was out cold.

"Who's the Mastermind?" Joshua asked, waving his gun back a forth past the conscious people.

Knowing there'd be consequences if none of them answered, Anna raised a hand, "Me."

Cross laughed, "You should be a Grifter my dear, you're very adept at it. Now why are you gunning for me?"

Anna took a deep breath, "We're here to find out who you've told your blackmail material on Gangrel to." There was no point in lying. Not at this point.

Joshua laughed, "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Mr. Cross," came a new voice.

Joshua jerked his head back and forth, and his eyes finally settled on the TV. A redheaded woman was on the TV screen wearing sunglasses.

"Who the hell are you?" Joshua asked. He pointed the gun at the TV, but then realized it wouldn't do anything so he let it drop.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she said with a cold impersonation of Cross. "It doesn't matter Cross, I'd answer the lady's question."

Joshua laughed, "Why should I? I'd bet my favorite hat you have nothing up your sleeve."

The woman on the TV screen chuckled, "In precisely twenty seconds, you will hear an explosion. It's what I like to call a warning shot. Ten seconds."

"What are you talking about-" Cross was cut off.

_BOOM!_

An extremely loud explosion sounded not too far away. Anna felt the room shake a bit.

"Did you hear that Mr. Cross? That was the sound of your main floor exploding. Don't worry, it was very flashy. Good thing the fire alarm is going off," the woman grinned.

"You have my attention," Joshua snarled.

"I have two more bombs. One is inside your personal office. The other is inside you casino and personal vault. By the way, you should have upgraded the security, it was easy to break into. Sorry, off track. With one click of a button, I will blow all your computer data and money to bits," the woman smirked.

Joshua shook his head, "That's my physical money. I have plenty of bank accounts."

The woman, who seemed to be sitting in a chair, leaned back and chuckled, "Well, you would if I hadn't hacked and cloned your phone. Stealing your passwords and data was easy, and robbing you took one click of a button."

Joshua's eyes flared as he quickly took out his phone and began tapping the touch screen furiously. He gave a roar of outrage and shot several bullets out of his gun into the floor. "When did you…dammit, the waiter right? I should have seen that."

The woman laughed, "You crimelords are so easy to con. Everything is about the money. And you think no one will ever steal from you because 'they wouldn't dare, or else.'"

"What do you want," Cross said slowly.

"I want you to answer Anna's question. And I will warn you, I know if you're lying," she said seriously.

Joshua opened his mouth, then closed it. He turned back to the TV with a smirk, "You've forgotten something. I have powerful friends. They can restore my accounts to what they were for this information. You have no hold over me."

The redhead on the TV burst out laughing, "That implies Robin Sterling gives a shit about you. Yes, I know who he is. You think the Traitor of the YIA can be trusted? He once was the most adept agent in SHEPHERD, and look at him now. Most dangerous man in the world. Shepherd's most wanted."

"Our types stick together," Joshua said through gritted teeth.

"Since your pathetic brain can't handle it, let me put it in an analogy. You are a caterpillar, Sterling is a Hawk. He doesn't even waste time with you, he eats the people who eat you. You're nothing."

"S-shut up!" Joshua shouted.

Anna hid a smile. She always knew Morgan could be an excellent Grifter. This was her first life or death test after all.

"And one more thing," Morgan chuckled.

"What?" Cross snarled angrily.

"You should have just answered Anna's question," Morgan just shook her head. "In our business, one learns to watch their back very quickly. And you wouldn't last very long," Morgan said smugly.

Joshua Cross swore and turned around to find several men in suits pointing guns at him and his men.

"You done goofed," chuckled Mark Strife. And he fired.

* * *

?  
Robin Sterling

"Is it done?" Robin said.

Brady Jensen, more commonly known as Pandemonium, nodded, "You bet your boots it is. Plegia City is mine t' control. Not even Erk coulda stopped me."

Sterling smirked, "Excellent. Now tell me, what do you know of the SHEPHERD List?"

* * *

The Big Bang Job

Mission: **Accomplished**

* * *

**Author Notes: This chapter started off so-so, but I like how it turned out. And we have the introduction of the Anti-Kellam squad! Two of four bumbling idiots that'll be reoccurring and might actually accomplish something, I don't know. I put those two in here on impulse, we'll see how it goes.**

**Now, Neuro Linguistics Reprogramming. Anyone who watched Leverage knows this, and I don't remember how or when it is explained so I believe I got it right. But this legitimately works, anchoring an emotion to an action. For example, I might be reading a book. Now I read this book late at night when I'm very tired. I go back to reread it, and I feel tired! The feeling of tiredness is anchored to reading the book. If any of this interests you, go look up more about it! Or if you're an expert, please correct me!**

**On July 31st, ****Sanity is not what it's meant to be ****had its birthday. It has gotten 24k views in a year. I never expected it to be so popular. So if you haven't ever read it, go check out the first chapter. And if you have read it, go back and read it for old time's sake. You are excellent readers, and I am so glad to have you all reading my fics.**

**If you like The Last Story, I posted a oneshot for a friend! Go check it out! Also, in the coming days I'm going to post a tLS story that is a collection of oneshots that I'll write when I'm bored. Impossible Emblem ****and every FE story I write are my priorities. I am not abandoning them.**

**Aslo! I have a new poll on my profile! I got bored of the old one, and if you want to know the results of the last one, PM me.**

"**We live to make the impossible possible! That is our focus!"**

**-Lightning**

* * *

**WAIT! THERE'S MORE!**

_Sneak Peek: Job #3_

_The Outside Man Job_

"_Stef, I've been sitting in the shadows too long. It was kindness, but now I'm bored of these games," Robin Sterling said, leaning back in his chair on the computer screen._

"_What are you saying?" Stefan said angrily._

"_I'm going to bomb a fully loaded Ylissean passenger jet in seventeen hours unless you give me the SHEPHERD List," Robin said, looking more interested in his nails he was examining than the conversation. "And don't think of calling in tons of Agents. I'll be at the Central Ylissian Airport, Terminal One. But if I see any of your agents besides the ones in this room, I'll blow up the entire airport. So only Faraday's team, those two agents over there and yourself."_

_Stefan glanced between Henry and Cordelia and said sarcastically, "Is that all?"_

_Sterling laughed, "No. This time you won't be going up against any of my lackeys Stef. This time, it's me and you. Face to face. Toe to toe. I'll be out in the open. So try and stop me."_


	8. The Outside Man Job

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! YOU HEAR ME? NOTHING!

**Also, a note about that surprise I mentioned a few chapters back is at the bottom. Read it.**

* * *

Job #3: The Outside Man

Gaius Faraday  
YIA Headquarters

"…and that wraps it up. Mark arrived as planned and right on time. Cross didn't stand a chance," Gaius finished. He leaned back in the chair. It was a comfy swivel chair.

Stefan nodded, pleased, "Excellent work. I'll send in a few agents to make sure Sterling isn't up to anything in the area. But I believe that's all."

Gaius smiled, maybe they'd get a break now. Stefan usually let teams have time off every few jobs. Being an agent wasn't exactly a walk in the park, they needed breaks often.

And then Canas suddenly burst into the room.

"Canas?" Cordelia said, puzzled. Beside her, Henry mirrored the expression. Gaius merely shrugged, he was used to Canas' antics.

"Mr. Gerrard, there's someone here to see you," Canas said darkly. He pulled down the projector sheet in the room and flipped open his laptop and clicked a few keys.

And Robin Sterling popped up on the screen with a lazy grin. He waved.

"Howdy Stefan, long time no see!" Robin laughed.

Stefan glared at the man, "What the hell are you doing Sterling?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was in the neighborhood and wanted to drop by?" Robin asked innocently.

"No."

"…You're no fun anymore Stef. What happened to the good ol' days? Me, you, Faraday, Arturian, all of us taking on the world!" Robin said. "No one could stop us back then."

"That was before you turned, Sterling. And since we're on the topic, why did you betray us? You've conveniently never told me. We were friends! We had been through so much, why!?" Stefan said angrily.

"That's for me to know, and you to never find out. …Now, recently my interest has been on what you call the SHEPHERD List," Robin said smugly.

Gaius watched as Stefan's hand twitched. Definitely not one of those good twitches.

"And for those of you who don't know," Robin glanced at the others in the room with a sly smile. "The List has all the information about every SHEPHERD currently and from the past. Each and every one of you is on it."

"This certainly is a step in a new direction. You can't honestly expect me to give it to you," Stefan said with a frown. Gaius silently agreed.

"Stef, I've been sitting in the shadows too long. It was kindness, but now I'm bored of these games," Robin Sterling said, leaning back in his chair on the computer screen stifling a yawn.

"What are you saying?" Stefan said angrily. He looked like a cat about to jump from its perch.

"I'm going to bomb a fully loaded Ylissean passenger jet in thirteen hours unless you give me the SHEPHERD List," Robin said, looking more interested in his nails that he was examining than the conversation. "And don't think of calling in tons of Agents. I'll be at the Central Ylissian Airport, Terminal One. But if I see any of your agents besides the ones in this room, I'll blow up the entire airport. So only Faraday's team, those two agents over there and yourself. Canas can stay behind. I know how he doesn't go for the field jobs."

Stefan glanced between Henry and Cordelia and said sarcastically, "Is that all?"

Sterling laughed, "No. This time you won't be going up against any of my lackeys, Stef. This time, it's me and you. Face to face. Toe to toe. I'll be out in the open. So try and stop me."

Robin's face disappeared as the screen went black.

"Shit," Stefan muttered. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Can't we stage some reason that we'd need to close the airport?" Frederick asked logically.

"No. Sterling will merely move locations then. That's how he works," Stefan said. He glanced at Gaius for agreement and Gaius nodded. "Then we'd never find him in time and innocents would die."

"Canas, you're holding down the fort here. Start finding me how many fully loaded Ylissean passenger jets are taking off in thirteen hours," Stefan ordered. "Thirteen hours will take us to midday tomorrow, the airport's busiest time."

"We need to go there now. It's an hour drive away, and we'll need time," said Cordelia. "Agreed?"

All the heads nodded.

* * *

Ylissean Central Airport: Parking Lot  
Virion Chandler  
Countdown: 11 hours, 47 minutes

It was a little after midnight. The agents gathered around the two vans they had taken to the airport. It had been a little cramped getting there, but they'd made it.

In the center of the semicircle was a computer which had Canas on it via videochat. "So there are thirteen planes taking off at the time Sterling threatened. But only seven of them are the huge Ylissean Passenger Jets, and those are probably the most predictable targets. And only three seem to be fully loaded at this time."

"Understood," Stefan said. He reached into the back of the van he had driven in and pulled out a bag full of badges. "You are all Ylissean Air Marshalls. These badges will give you access to just about everywhere. Sterling said he'd bomb a fully loaded plane, and it looks like there're three options." Stefan handed a badge to everyone. "There's nine of us, so teams of three. Each of us takes a different plane to investigate."

Canas cleared his throat, "Gaius, you take Anna and Morgan and check out plane number 221. Virion, take Frederick and Lissa with plane number 456. The rest of you have number 112. Good luck."

* * *

Ylissean Central Airport: Plane #221  
Morgan Cassidy  
Countdown: 8 hours 21 minutes

Morgan lifted the seventeenth overhead luggage storage compartment. With a sweep of her eyes, she sighed. No bomb. Though she didn't really expect to find it in such an obvious place.

Over the next half an hour, she checked the rest, as well as under every seat. All two hundred and forty three.

It wasn't like it was hard to count.

"There's nothing here Uncle G. If there's going to be a bomb, it's going to be in someone's luggage," Morgan said. That's what she would do at least. If she were an insane terrorist with a grudge that is.

"_I figured so. Green isn't having any luck either. Nor is Ruffles. Lissa?" _Gaius said.

"_Yeah?"_

"_Go to the security room. Let us know if anyone matching Sterling's description shows up today," _Gaius ordered. _"Stay there and don't let anyone go unchecked."_

Stefan spoke up, _"I just checked the boarding list of the three planes. Because sometimes there's last minute changes to the roster. Flight 456 no longer is full. It isn't our concern anymore. It's down more than ten people."_

"_Understood," _came eight voices, including Morgan's.

* * *

Ylissean Central Airport: Plane #112  
Virion Chandler  
Countdown: 3 hours 9 minutes

They were running out of time.

Virion hadn't found a bomb yet, neither had any of the other eight agents.

And that meant casualties if it wasn't remedied.

Virion smiled flirtatiously at the flight attendant behind the desk for flight 112. She smiled back as Virion walked up and said, "Ma'am."

"Can I help you sir?" she asked with a small smile.

Virion glanced at her nametag. "Well, Lyre. There's a bit of a situation." He pulled his Air Marshall badge out and the woman's eyes widened. Virion then reached into his pocket for a picture. Noticing her distress, he smiled, "Don't worry, you haven't done anything. But I need you to remain calm, can you do that?"

She nodded.

Virion then showed her a picture, "This man here, is going to try and commit an act of terrorism in a few hours. I _need _you to tell me if you see him, okay?"

Lyre nodded, suddenly extremely nervous, "What is he going to do?"

"Bomb a plane. The moment you see him, scream. Pull the fire alarm. Just draw attention to yourself. Myself or one of my coworkers will be there," Virion assured.

She nodded, but she was beginning to lose control of her breathing.

"Hey," Virion looked her in the eye dead on. "I need you to remain calm. This man, Sterling, he'll be looking to see discomfort in you. Don't let him see you, or he might do something worse."

Lyre nodded, and Virion left to go continue scanning the bags that were coming in alongside Frederick.

* * *

Ylissean Central Airport: Plane #221  
Morgan Cassidy  
Countdown: 37 minutes

"_Guys, I found it," _said Frederick through the com link.

Morgan perked up. She'd just checked in with the flight attendant in front of flight 221. No sign of Sterling. Yet that is.

"_It's in a suitcase I just opened up,"_ Frederick elaborated.

Morgan immediately left the desk and began to run to the other side of the airport where flight 112 was. Morgan could diffuse bombs, that was one of her skills. Though Gaius could as well, Morgan was better. A skill she wore with pride. And one she rubbed in her uncle's face whenever possible.

Now was not the time.

But as she was running and turning a corner, she _barely_ stopped herself from knocking over an old man wearing glasses.

"Oops! Sorry sir!" Morgan said, itching to keep running. But it was her fault, she had to make sure the man was okay. Just because Morgan was suddenly a secret agent didn't mean she had to abandon her moral code.

The man laughed, "Slow down there girl. Watch yourself, I'm fine. Now run along lassie."

Morgan smiled and kept running on.

The old man chuckled and kept walking. He passed flight 221 and continued on. The old man walked down the moving sidewalk, leaning on his cane the duration of the distance.

He had a long history of traveling, he didn't even need to look to know he was at his destination. It was muscle memory. It came with age…and experience.

The man checked his watch. He had twenty minutes. Boarding had started, but he'd be all right. So he set his eyes on the bathroom and headed there, hobbling on his cane.

It was empty, and the old man stood in front of the mirror. He ran a hand through his white hair. Then suddenly, he burst out laughing. He took off the old man glasses.

No longer leaning on the cane, he stood up straight. Perfectly, just like a young man. He set the backpack down that he had been carrying and reached a hand up to the base of his cheek. Then he grabbed and _pulled _upward, ripping something off.

Robin Sterling smirked as he threw the mask into the garbage can. Damn useful, those things.

Sterling walked into one of the stalls with the backpack, and when he came out two minutes later, he was wearing a black suit. He always was with style.

Still holding his cane, Sterling left the bathroom. It wasn't his favorite cane, though that made him smirk. He loved new toys.

Robin looked up at the display.

Flight #456  
**Status:** Boarding. Full flight.

The terrorist chuckled and made his way onto the plane.

The flight attendant scanned his ticket and bid him a pleasant flight. Sterling continued through the door that led to the plane.

Robin made his way to the seat in the middle of the plane that he had booked. The plane had been lacking one person before Robin had bought the final seat. He was actually disappointed in the lack of resistance from Stefan. Either his old friend didn't know him as well as he'd thought, or they were in the process of dealing with the decoy bomb. Or his Hacker actually had fooled them into thinking the flight wasn't full.

Robin always had more than one decoy.

"This isn't even a challenge," Robin sighed. "I thought I would be actually trying. Guess I better focus on the WIA."

"Huh?" said the person whose seat was next to Robin's.

"Oh, nothing," Robin shrugged. He put his cane in the overhead compartment. Then Sterling walked back to the front of the plane and stepped back through the door that he had passed through to get on the plane calmly.

"Sir? What're you doing?" said the flight attendant.

"Urgent family matter," Robin said, putting on a worried face and gesturing to his phone. "I need to leave."

The man nodded and went about his business.

Sterling grabbed the detonator out of his pocket and held it in a way so that it was hidden from view. He took one last glance at the usual hustle and bustle of the airport. The he glanced at the flight that was now beginning to depart. Robin would wait a minute, he wanted a spectacle after all. And a plane exploding midair would be…a blast.

He smirked.

Game. Set. Match.

* * *

Ylissean Central Airport: Plane #112  
Gaius Faraday  
Countdown: 3 minutes

Gaius frowned at the bomb as it count down from three minutes. His nerves abruptly stopped. He was filled with cold dread.

He'd been working on it for almost twenty minutes and he could figure it out. And neither could Morgan who leaned down beside him. The way it was designed, it was complicated. Too complicated. A bomb like this wouldn't have a high blast range.

In fact, this one didn't have a blast range at all.

Because it wasn't a bomb.

"Green?" Gaius said distractedly, doing a final check to make sure.

"Hmm? Is it done?" Stefan asked.

"This isn't a bomb," Gaius said, dropping the bombshell.

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed together in concentration, "But that means…"

The roar of engine jets cut off Stefan. The luggage area that they were situated at was near the runway. Gaius watched, despite the situation, as plane number 456 began to take off.

_Wait…_

Stefan's eyes widened and he swore. The plane began to ascend to the air.

"Someone get me a phone-" Stefan began.

Plane 456 exploded midair.

* * *

Ylissean Central Airport  
Stefan Gerrard

The Director sat down in a random chair in the airport.

He'd failed.

Almost three hundred people killed.

Stefan ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't cut out for this position. His predecessor had died in the field though, and Stefan had been the only one qualified for the position as Director at the time. And there wasn't anyone else capable even now.

"You never were good at handling failure," said a smug voice.

Stefan didn't even need to look up. He reached for his gun. Within three seconds the voice would be silenced. Although a bad Director, Stefan was a good shot.

"Bad idea to shoot me Stef. I got people around me now, you'd die before you aim. Plus we're in a public area. Plenty of innocents will die if you try," Sterling said.

"How?" Stefan muttered with anger.

Sterling knew exactly what he meant. "You mean how I made it seem like flight 456 wasn't full? Easy, I have good Hackers," Robin said calmly.

"Pandemonium could never have done that. He isn't good enough to get by without Canas noticing," Stefan protested. "You know how good Canas is."

"Hmm, that is true. But I assure you, Pandemonium was on the case. He knows Canas' style. They go way back," smirked Sterling.

"Impossible."

"Think of it like this, Pandemonium is a new player in the game. You haven't heard his name except in the past few months. You don't even know who he is," Robin said like he was talking to a little kid.

"Pandemonium is Brady Jensen," Stefan said slowly.

Robin shook his head, "Brady Jensen is dead in a ditch in Ferox. He was going to betray me and run to the YIA. And I couldn't let that happen. Brady Jensen was not Pandemonium, I wanted you to think he was. Looks like it worked."

"Then who is?" growled Stefan.

"Nuh uh uh!" Sterling chuckled, shaking his finger back and forth. "That would be telling."

"I'm going to kill you," said Stefan murderously. And if there weren't innocent people around, he would.

"Oh, I know you want to. But face it, I'm better than you. I stepped out of my hideout alone and beat the best agent in the YIA: you. Today you proved that you're no match for me. As did your team a few days ago."

"What?" Stefan said, puzzled.

"Joshua Cross was in my way of controlling Plegia City. And thanks to his death, I now control the city. So I owe you and your agents my thanks," Robin sneered.

Stefan clenched his hands. He'd been played.

"Toodles Stef. I'll let you know when I next need help," Robin chuckled.

* * *

The Outside Man Job

Mission: **Failed**

* * *

**Author Notes: I beat my goal! I wanted to get to Job #3 by the end of the summer, and here we are! It's a bit short, but I think I made the point I wanted to make.**

**IMPORTANT! Me and Pureshadow013 have a fic up that we're writing together! It's called Star Emblem, and it's a Star Wars styled Fire Emblem story! So space, the final frontier, all that stuff. Please go check it out! I'm really proud of it so far! It is on HIS profile. It was his idea after all. There is a link to it on my profile.**

**NEW POLL ON MY PROFILE! Kickass.**

"**I'm a professional sweetheart, pay attention, you might learn something."**

**-Roman Torchwick, RWBY**


	9. The False Friend Job I

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.

**There is a three month time skip between this chapter and the last.**

* * *

Job #4: The False Friend

Part I

Stefan Gerrard  
YIA Headquarters: Director's Office

"I thought you didn't approve of my work?" said a man cloaked in shadow. Stefan could barely tell that he was smirking.

"I don't," Stefan said darkly. "But I've always kept myself in the light. I thought I was the good guy. But look where that's got me."

The man stood so his face was obscured by the darkness of Stefan's office. The only thing that illuminated the room was Stefan's desk light. The mysterious man could barely be seen.

"This job you have in mind, it won't be cheap. Not by far," said the man. He almost sounded disinterested.

"I know," Stefan muttered.

The man chuckled, "Even though you don't like me, I've always thought you were a good guy. So I'll make you an offer. Payment upon delivery, how's that sound?"

Stefan raised an eyebrow, "Are you that confident? How much?"

"One hundred to know how confident I am, three million for the hit," said the man.

Stefan reluctantly nodded, ignoring the first part, "I suppose that's fair. It will be a pretty hard hit."

"Pretty hard?" the man burst out laughing. "Understatement of the year. This is the biggest gamble of my life. You should be happy that I take all jobs for the right price."

"I am. Now don't disappoint," Stefan said as he glanced down at his desk for a moment.

When he looked up, the Fireman was gone.

* * *

Annamart  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius leaned on the door frame as he watched the TV Anna was watching in the shop late at night. The Mastermind frowned at what she was watching.

"_Even three months later, the public still demands an explanation as to the events at the Ylissean Central Airport. How could YIA and HBI's most wanted sneak into one of the most populated airports of our world?" _said Noah, the news anchor for the new station. _"Tonight we have an expert with us to discuss possible theories."_

The camera turned to a new face. The name Heath Moore popped up on the screen. _"Tell me Heath, what are your thoughts on the matter?"_ Noah Rogers said.

"_We've all heard the police reports, there was no mistaking that this was a bombing," _Heath said. _"I've flown planes for a long time, and I know for a fact that planes don't explode like that unless tampered with. I think the thing we need to be asking ourselves is where was airport security? Where were the government officials that are supposed to be watching for Robin Sterling? Isn't this what the Halidom Bureau of Investigation for? What about SHEPHERD? These three hundred deaths aren't just on Sterling's hands, they're on the government's as well."_

"_It is a horrible tragedy," _Noah said somberly. _"But I hope that every nation in the world is doing their best to bring terrorists like this to justice. Exalt Emmeryn Caverly said after the incident that she intends to devote all her power to catching people like Sterling. I'm sure we all pray that another incident like this will never happen again."_

Gaius cleared his throat, "This isn't going to help you get over it." He knew from experience, after all.

Anna didn't say anything. She hadn't said much of anything in the past three months. And neither had Morgan, but she usually wasn't even around the shop.

Gaius was about to leave the room when Anna spoke up, "How can you deal with it?"

"It?" Gaius questioned.

"The guilt. That Heath is right, those three hundred people's deaths were on our hands. Three hundred innocents died and it's all our fault. How can you be so…normal?" Anna said, sounding on the verge of tears. She usually was these days.

Gaius spoke quietly, "Red, this isn't the first mission I failed. And it won't be the last."

"Three hundred people!" Anna said. She definitely was crying now.

Gaius walked over and embraced her, "Red…no, Anna, it wasn't your fault. If anyone's, it's mine. I should have been quicker. I should have planned better. The blame is mine." He hugged her tighter.

They sat there, still, for several minutes before Anna asked, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" he said softly.

"Keep a brave face on."

"I think of happier times. I pretend that everything is alright," Gaius said quietly, rubbing her back.

"I don't know if I can do that. Everything isn't alright," Anna said softly.

"Then do it for Morgan. She's barely even been around her. She needs her aunt," Gaius said.

Anna nodded. Gaius stayed for a bit longer before going to check on Morgan. That is, if she were even there.

* * *

Castle Ylisstol  
Chrom Caverly

"Lissa?" Chrom said as he knocked on her door in the castle. He hadn't seen much of Lissa in a long time.

"…What?" Lissa said, her voice devoid of all emotion through the door.

"Can I come in?" Chrom asked.

Lissa didn't answer, but Chrom heard the door unlock. His sister didn't open it, but Chrom took it as an implied 'come in.'

Lissa sat on her bed without saying anything as Chrom stood in the doorway to her big room. He thought for a long time for what to say.

"Lissa…" Chrom said quietly. "What's wrong? You've been like this for ages."

"Chrom…" Lissa whispered, not meeting his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Lissa, you need to tell me what's wrong," Chrom said firmly. "If someone hurt you, I'll-"

"It's nothing like that," Lissa said quietly. "…I failed my first mission in the YIA."

Chrom frowned, "What was the mission?"

Lissa pointed at her book shelf. Chrom turned to look at it and saw a newspaper clipping. He only read the title before understanding. It read: **"Who's to blame for Flight 456?"**

"…We didn't stop it," whimpered Lissa. "Had we been better, we could have. Had _I_ been better, I would have seen Sterling. I could have saved those people…"

Chrom walked over to Lissa and sat down beside her. He hugged her, in the way only a big brother could, "I'm sure that it wasn't your fault."

"Chrom?" Lissa suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Chrom looked at her.

"Promise me you'll never be a SHEPHERD," Lissa said between tears.

Lissa was asking Chrom to give up his lifelong dream.

And Chrom found himself saying, "I promise."

Whether he meant it or not, Chrom didn't know.

* * *

Ylisstol  
Morgan Cassidy

Morgan silently unwrapped a piece of candy and put it in her mouth. She looked at the grave stone in front of her and forced herself not to turn away.

The graveyard was cold. Unusually cold for the time of year. Morgan shivered, but it wasn't from the cold.

The Thief felt like she wanted to throw up. But she knew she couldn't. Morgan still had at least a hundred more to go.

She had visited the victims' families too. Some she had even tried to apologize to. That hadn't gone well, though Morgan never threw a punch back at them. She deserved all that she had gotten. All the insults. All the punches. All the anger.

_Remember this feeling. Remember and never fail again._

Three hundred people dead. Three hundred innocent people. One hundred twenty seven men, one hundred twenty nine women.

Forty four children.

Morgan could've done something.

The Thief hadn't told any of the other members of the Crew of how she'd bumped into the disguised Robin Sterling. She couldn't take knowing her friends knew she failed like that.

Morgan felt like she wanted to cry.

But she had sworn she wouldn't.

"This won't happen again. Trust me," Morgan promised the grave.

Silence was her only answer.

"I'm not a kid anymore," Morgan announced aloud, as if coming to a realization. "And I swear, I won't let this happen again."

Silence.

Graves can't speak after all.

* * *

Annamart  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius' phone began ringing. Its sharp ringtone pierced the silence of the shop. Anna was in bed, it was late.

_No idea if she's actually sleeping as opposed to crying herself to sleep._

Groaning, he sat up from his nice nap and answered it, "Hello?"

"_Gaius, did I wake you?" _came a voice that was very familiar to Gaius.

"Colm? Colm Fletcher?" Gaius said with disbelief. It certainly had been a while since he'd last heard from Colm.

"_Yep, that's me. Got a minute?" _Colm asked. He sounded stressed.

"Sure," Gaius said. "I can give you my sweet time."

"_Haven't changed I see. Listen, I'm in a spot of trouble. And If I remember right, you owe me a favor."_

"True, what do you need?" Gaius said seriously. Colm had saved his life once, and Gaius really did owe him.

"_Some guy has been tailing me all day. And when I tried to lose him, he jumped me! So I killed him, but now I've got a body and no way to dump it," _Colm said. _"You think you can help an old friend out?"_

"Sure, where are you at?" Gaius said, already jumping up and pulling his green sweatshirt on while searching for the necessary materials for the job.

"_425 Renais Avenue. I need to scatter, let's meet up sometime, okay?"_ Colm said.

"Absolutely," Gaius said, dashing out the door.

* * *

425 Renais Avenue  
Colm Fletcher

Colm hung up the phone and set it down. He turned on the water in the bathroom and washed the blood off his hands. He glanced in the mirror and chuckled. Good ol' Gaius.

Drying his hands, Colm slowly walked out into the main room of the _very _small one floor house. He watched the door with the eyes of a hawk.

The blinds twitched.

Colm froze, he dive rolled to the wall with the window and pulled out his pistol and cocked it, ready to fire. He peeked upwards.

It was just the wind.

Colm sighed, and reset the hammer on the gun, but kept the firearm out.

If paranoia had a name, its name would be Colm Fletcher.

"Back to business Colm. Remember the job," he muttered darkly.

Colm worked for the Feroxi Security and Intelligence Organization. Except this wasn't a job for FSIO.

This was something else.

Colm reached into his backpack and pulled out a transparent sheet that held fingerprints. Colm went around the room pressing it against the walls in key points.

Then he put a glove on and took the gun that was encased in a plastic bag out and threw it in the trashcan and covered it with trash so it could be seen fairly easily.

And now for the final step.

Colm pulled out his phone and dialed the police.

"Naga! It's horrible, I just saw an orange haired man shoot someone in a house across the street! …The address is 425 Renais Avenue, hurry!" Colm said with a shrill voice. He hung up and stared at his phone carefully.

_No going back now._

Then he got out of the house and ran away.

* * *

YPD Precinct  
Leila Gryfflet

"Remind me why I'm doing this?" Leila groaned, leaning back in her swivel chair.

"Because it's fun, I'm low on cash, and you know you love it," Heather smirked as she dropped a few gold coins in the middle.

"You know you always lose," Leila muttered. Heather heard her.

"I do not!" she said indignantly.

"Heather…you kinda do always lose," Mia spoke up, folding. She set her hand on the table face down.

"Oh, shut up you," muttered Heather, trying (and failing) to hide her smirk.

"At least Matthew isn't playing, then you'd really be screwed," said Mia lightly.

"…I hate you all," muttered Matthew from the seat next to Leila while Heather and Mia sat across from them, probably holding hands under the table. Due to losing the first round of cards somehow, Matthew was forced to fill out reports for the team.

"Well, they got me too, so don't feel too bad," said Legault with a slight smirk. He was supposedly 'helping' Matthew with the paperwork. Though it didn't escape Leila's notice that Legault's stack got smaller while Matthew's suspiciously larger without out much writing from Legault.

Leila ignored it. And by ignored she meant was laughing inwardly.

"Nice of you to help," Matthew remarked with sincerity.

Leila barely contained her laughter.

"It's no problem," Legault said. It appeared to Leila that he was barely containing his laughter as well. Heather just shook her head, obviously aware of what was going on. The detective in training, Mia, just looked confused.

"I could get used to this," Legault said, probably more to himself. "Sitting around, gambling, and getting _paid."_

"Welcome to the YPD," said Heather, laying down her hand.

Leila laid down her cards. She had a straight flush.

Heather had a pair of tens.

Leila chuckled at Heather's dismayed expression.

"Told you, you always lose," said Mia as she gathered up the cards to shuffle.

"Quiet you," Heather said as she leaned over towards Mia, their gazes locked…

"There are children in the room!" said Legault with a bit more volume than normal.

Matthew leaned over to Leila and whispered loudly, "He was talking about you."

Leila and Legault both spoke at the same time, "No he wasn't." Matthew frowned and stuck out his tongue at his girlfriend.

Mia and Heather missed the whole exchange. They were too busy eating each other's faces.

"Would it be bad manners if I threw something at them?" Matthew muttered, trying to go back to the paperwork.

"Right now, yes. In twenty seconds, no," said Legault.

And so, precisely twenty three seconds later, Matthew threw a piece of gold at Heather.

Chaos ensued.

When Detective Stahl Donivore walked in several minutes later, he saw an unconscious Matthew, a Legault that wasn't doing anything but drawing on the unconscious detective's face and Leila who was just endlessly shuffling the deck of cards in her hand.

And Mia and Heather weren't anywhere to be seen.

"Did they go sneak off somewhere?" Stahl said, out of breath. He'd been running around due to a call.

Legault nodded.

Stahl shook his head, "There's been a murder and we're on the case. Legault, wake Matthew up. Leila, go to the women's restroom and grab those two."

Leila froze. She didn't want to go in there. Not with them in there.

Stahl looked her in the eye and put on a very serious expression, "That's an order, Detective Gryfflet."

Leila would need brain bleach.

* * *

425 Renais Ave  
Stahl Donivore  
10 minutes later…

Stahl squinted as another car drove by. He hated night driving.

In his squad car, he had Legault and Matthew. For fun, he made Leila ride with Heather and Mia.

_I'm going to wake up tomorrow with a knife in my chest for that._

"Take a left," Legault said. He was in professional mode. Or as Matthew had called it, boring mode.

Surprisingly, a fairly accurate description.

"Is there a plan?" Matthew asked.

"Kick ass, take names, and eat muffins," Stahl said without a second thought.

That was good enough for Matthew.

Stahl pulled up several houses down. "We walk," he simply said.

The other squad car pulled up behind them and the three women stepped out. Leila looked like she wanted to murder Stahl. Heather was grinning, likely from many innuendos. Mia's face was red.

Stahl motioned for them to follow. It was business time now.

The six detectives made their to the small one story house.

Stahl walked up towards the door, took a deep breath, and kicked it open. He sprang through and shouted, "Police, freeze!" And he pointed his gun at whoever was inside.

* * *

425 Renais Ave  
Gaius Faraday  
10 minutes earlier…

Something wasn't right.

Gaius felt a cold chill up his back ever since he stepped out of his car. Why would Colm kill a man here? Why in a house? Why so…public?

Gaius never the less opened the door with a bit of force and went about his work. Colm had kept the hit clean thankfully.

Gaius quickly mopped up all the blood with a towel he'd brought. He'd done this before, in his early days as an agent. Back when he was a janitor of sorts.

Gaius popped a sucker into his mouth. Candy always makes the time go by faster. It was a scientific law.

With a special spray that removes stains completely, the carpet was no concern. Just a spray and _poof_, bloodstains gone.

_Think of the money Green would make if he sold this formula._

_Except it would be a little too easy to kill people and get away with it then._

Gaius peeked inside of the bathroom. That was when he really became paranoid.

There was a gun in the trashcan. Visible.

"…Oh…_shit,"_ mumbled Gaius, eyes wide.

The Mastermind began to run to the door, but he was too late.

The door sprang open and smashed him in the face.

"Police, freeze!"

Gaius fell to the floor from the force of the impact. When he came back into focus, he saw three guns pointing at him and voices speaking eratically.

And Gaius also remembered he hadn't dumped the body yet.

This wasn't going to look good.

"Orange haired man, huh?" said the brown haired policeman near the back of the pack.

The forefront one (who seemed to be in charge) cleared his throat, "You are hereby under arrest for suspicion of murder. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you…" He continued on with the familiar speech.

Shit.

Gaius had been set up.

* * *

?  
Colm Fletcher

"I did what you asked, happy?" said the blue haired man, clearly irritated.

"There's something else I'm going to have you do," Ishtar Lievar said, face on a computer screen via videochat.

"No. I'm done, that's what we agreed to," Colm said flatly.

Ishtar shook her head and pushed the camera on her side over. There sat the heart and soul of Colm's problem.

Ishtar cocked her handgun and pointed it at Neimi, "I'm sorry Fletcher, but I think I must have misheard you. Could you repeat that?"

Colm's hand tightened into a fist, "What's. Do. You. Want."

Ishtar only smiled.

* * *

**Author Notes: Better late than never, no? But school started. Update schedule is changing, probably updating once a week (hopefully) around the weekend. That's assuming that I don't feel as dead as I have during this first week throughout every other week this year.**

**Now if you'll excuse me, I need to pick my mind up out of the gutter due to some humor I used during this chapter. If you were offended, tell me.**

"**I'm a professional sweetheart, pay attention, you might learn something…"**

**-Roman Torchwick**


	10. The False Friend Job II

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem

* * *

The False Friend Job  
Part II

Ylisstol: The Holy Church of Naga  
Claude Trematir

Claude eyed his target from his pew. The priest watched the man carefully from behind his prayer book, planning his next move.

Claude wasn't the type to ask lots of questions as to why some of his targets were being targeted. It usually wasn't too hard to figure out, and often the criminals confessed to him in the face of death, trying to atone for their actions.

The man of Naga always felt extreme guilt at the irony of the situation.

But it was his job. Naga had given him these gifts, so Claude chose to use them. To stop those who desecrated the beautiful life Naga had given them, Claude was a YIA agent. One who generally was in charge of disposing of many people.

Claude stilled his breathing as he tried to overhear what the man was saying in his whispered praying. Brother Libra was usually better at getting close to a mark. Claude had to rely on his hearing, which from all the gunshots and explosions over the years wasn't the best.

And now he was sounding like an old man.

The yellow haired priest had seen this type before. He was the kind that knew he was going to die, and came to pray as if that would get him into heaven. One could tell from the nervous twitching, the eyes that were shut so hard it hurt, and the occasional whimper.

As much as he tried, Claude couldn't keep his judgmental thoughts under control. The man was pathetic.

Claude stood up quietly and walked over, hands clasped on his prayer book and asked the man, "Is there anything I can do for you, child?"

The man jumped, and if there had been any doubt in Claude's mind, it cleared. The expression on the man's face told it all.

Guilt.

"Father! You startled me… I don't think there's anything you can do," he said, almost remorsefully. Claude had to stop from raising an eyebrow. They usually didn't feel remorse.

Claude frowned, "You look as though you have something heavy weighing on your conscious. Child, would you like me to relieve you of your sins?

The man hesitated, searching Claude's sympathetic face carefully before nodding. The priest motioned for the man to follow him. And the man did so.

"What's your name, child?" Claude said kindly.

"Julian, father," he said.

"A good name," Claude smiled kindly. "This way," he motioned through a door way and a calmer Julian nodded and led the way.

They soon reached the room where a priest would hear the confessor's sins. Claude let Julian enter first out of courtesy and followed in behind him.

Claude brushed aside the curtain that could be used to hide the confessor's identity. He had already seen Julian. And Claude didn't think that the man cared if a priest saw him.

"Father…I'm a bad person," Julian said shakily. At every sound, Julian had been jumping at on the walk to their destination. It didn't escape Claude's notice.

Claude gave an encouraging smile and nodded him on.

"I…was part of the Black Fang. I killed…so many," Julian said with shivers. He rolled up his sleeve on his right arm and displayed a tattoo of a black elegant F. "And now I think someone is coming after me."

Claude reached down to the ground to retrieve his prayer book he had set down and opened it, cover facing Julian. "Do you regret your involvement, Julian?" Claude asked.

"I…don't know," he said.

Claude nodded in an understanding way. He reached into the cut out area of the hollow book and held a pistol so Julian wouldn't see it. He clicked the hammer back quietly.

Not quietly enough.

Julian heard, and he bolted upright and narrowed his eyes, "What was that? What're you doing?"

Claude kept his composure, as he had done so many times, and said, "I'm relieving you of your sins, child."

And Claude pointed the silenced gun at Julian's face and shot him.

Julian crumpled to the floor without a sound.

Claude looked away from distaste. Just because he had the skill to kill didn't mean he enjoyed it.

Claude was putting away the pistol as he heard his phone ring. Sighing, he picked it up. Recognizing the number, he said, "I'm busy, Frederick."

"_I need your help. My Mastermind got landed in prison. And we need a priest in order to get to him. None of us fit the bill."_

Claude sighed with a slight chuckle, "You'll owe me, got that? Give me thirty minutes, where are you?"

"_The Annamart. And we stopped keeping track of how many times I owe you a while ago. And can you try and be here a bit quicker? We'd like to run you down on the plan before heading over there."_

Claude snorted, "You may have. I didn't. But it'll be a bit. I have a body to dump."

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Employee Lounge  
Stahl Donivore

"Is this really necessary?" Stahl asked the police chief.

Gregor shrugged, "Gregor got orders from top brass, 'Faraday must go to maximum security. It's his past record.' When Gregor gets orders like that, Gregor obeys."

"But this guy only murdered someone. And the fingerprints haven't even been analyzed yet. It seems a bit too much," Stahl shrugged. "I mean, I think he did it, but this is a prison for terrorists, serial killers…"

Gregor nodded, "Gregor know the feeling. But you need to know your place, yes? Faraday may have top secret crimes that Gregor doesn't know about, Gregor thinks. You know how all that cloak and dagger business works."

"I suppose… I'll hang around here until we get the fingerprint reading back. If they aren't his, I'll let him go," said Stahl. "He kept going on about how he was set up."

Gregor nodded with approval, "Gregor is going to go see what Gregor can dig up. Even Gregor is a bit suspicious about this one."

Stahl sighed and sat down on a chair in the employee lounge. It was going to be a long night.

And he was going to need a muffin.

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Main Entrance  
Claude Trematir

"_And we're live in three…two…one."_

Claude pushed open the doors that led inside the prison. Dressed in his cassock, he drew a few glances within the lobby. The priest walked up to the guard that guarded the door to the actual prison versus the lobby he was in and smiled, "Good evening."

The guard fidgeted awkwardly, "Uh…father, what can I do for you?"

Claude put on a sad look, "It seems one of Naga's flock has led himself astray. I'm here to see Gaius Faraday, he asked for me specifically."

The guard furrowed his eyebrows, "I uh…can't just let anyone through."

_Brilliant deduction. And this is why you're a guard._

Claude mentally slapped himself. A servant of Naga doesn't have thoughts like that.

"Child, what is your name?" Claude asked kindly.

"My name is Roy," said the red headed guard.

Claude smiled, but let some sternness into his gaze, "Tell me Roy, do you think a man of Naga would lie? I am here to try and bring a lost soul back on the path of Naga. Nothing more, nothing less."

Roy stared at the floor sheepishly, "Sorry father, you can go through."

Claude patted the young man on the shoulder, "You were just doing your job. And you are very good at it, Naga can't fault you for that."

Roy perked up and looked more confident as Claude walked down the hall.

"The package is on its way," Claude whispered into the com link. "How about the other package?"

"_Copy that, the mailman is in route. The route is clear," _came Virion's voice. He was acting Mastermind in Gaius' absence.

"Understood," said Claude and he kept walking slowly like a priest would.

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Gaius' Cell  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius had never had a headache this bad. It felt like he had an RPG exploding in his skull while getting hit by a train.

"Need…sugar," Gaius mumbled. It took too much energy to talk, and it made his head feel worse. Any thinking did. Why did the guards have to take his reserve stash he'd hidden!?

"Child?" there was a knock on his cell. Gaius flipped over in his bed and saw a familiar face.

"I…know you," muttered Gaius, his mind not working properly without sugar.

The priest, judging by his clothes, smiled and nodded, "You asked to see me, remember? And I'm Father Claude. You wanted to try and go back on the path of Naga, right?"

Even in his less than competent state, Gaius could tell when someone was prompting him. "…Thank you for coming father, sorry it took me a little to remember. Prison does strange things to a person. And…I don't want to keep living like this. I want forgiveness."

Claude smiled, knelt, and began praying. Gaius spoke along with him for the parts Claude instructed him to say. At the end of their twenty minute session, Claude gave Gaius his prayer book. "Pray every morning and night. Seek Naga's forgiveness on your own."

Gaius nodded and began to turn away. Then he saw Claude's hand move. He showed five fingers, then swished his hand back and forth in a 'silence' motion and finally tapped the ground with a fist in a span of about three seconds.

Claude stood up, "May Naga be with you, Mr. Faraday."

Gaius smiled back at him.

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Security Room  
Stahl Donivore

"Who is that?" Stahl demanded, pointing at the priest that had just visited Faraday's cell.

"That's Father Claude," said the security guard with a smile. "He's from the Holy Church of Naga, my church. You know, that big one in central Ylisstol?"

"Who let him through?" Stahl said, watching the man through the camera screens carefully.

"Whoever is on duty at the main doors," shrugged the guard.

"And that is…?" Stahl said, with a bit of urgency.

The guard checked a camera, "Hmm…yep, that's Roy. He's a good kid. Why did you want to know?"

But Stahl just ran out of the room.

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Outside  
Lissa Caverly

Lissa typed away on her keyboard inside the van, looking at the camera screen she was viewing of Gaius' cell.

"You ready yet?" Virion asked from inside the YIA van.

"…Done. Cameras are set. Eyes are blind," Lissa said. The security guards inside now had a frozen picture of what had been going on the cell. For the past five minutes, Gaius had been lying with his back to the camera, apparently asleep. Now the guards would think Gaius was asleep the entire time during his breakout. Plus she'd gotten clean, peopleless shots for every other security camera.

Virion touched his ear for the com link, "Package has been delivered, receiver is ready. Package two, ETA?"

Lissa took control of the camera that was outside of Gaius' cell and moved it back and forth, making some noise.

Gaius was waiting for it, he jumped up and opened the prayer book Claude had given him. He grabbed something out of it.

Gaius ran to the cell door and pointed two fingers up, waved them in a circle and pointed them at the door.

Lissa sprang the lock on the door. Gaius glanced out of the door of the cell. He began making his way to his left, down the hallway. When he encountered a electronically locked door, he took the tiny chip that had been in the book and stuck it on the side of the key card lock. It deactivated the lock and Gaius ran through the now open door.

"Frederick, are you in position?" Virion spoke.

"_ETA two minutes," _came his reply.

"You have one minute," Virion said.

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Back Hallways  
Frederick Quinn

Frederick walked through the back of the prison, when he came upon two guards.

"Hey, you can't be back here!" said the first.

"Well, that's a shame," muttered Frederick, before he threw a right hook at the guard. The man crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The second guard pulled out his handgun and pointed it at Frederick. The Hitter chuckled, "Big mistake. I don't like guns...and that includes getting them pointed at me." With his left hand, he grabbed the guard's wrist. Quickly finding the pressure point, the guard cried out and dropped the firearm. Frederick pushed the man backward and kicked the man in right kneecap.

The guard fell to the ground in pain just as Frederick threw a punch at the man's solar plexus. Down for the count.

"Don't point guns at me," Frederick said politely.

The door to Frederick's left opened. A familiar face came out.

"What's the plan?" Gaius said as he glanced at the guards with a relaxed gaze.

"Suit up," Frederick said gesturing to the guard's uniforms. They'd attract less attention. "Morgan'll be here soon."

Gaius briefly looked at the two guards, sizing them up, before walking over to the unconscious one and began taking his uniform off him.

Then a ceiling tile fell to the ground. A red headed woman poked her head through with a smile, "'Sup Gaius. Ready to go?"

Frederick watched a brief emotion pass over Gaius' face as he heard Morgan's comment. Then he nodded with a smile, "Let's go."

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Security Room  
Stahl Donivore

Stahl didn't make it very far on his hunch before he was stopped outside of the security room.

Two people dressed in white lab coats stood before him. One tall with blue hair, one shorter with red hair. The latter was an Anna.

"Detective Donivore, I presume?" said the man with blue hair.

"What is it?" said Stahl impatiently.

"Results from the crime scene," said Anna. She handed him a file folder.

Stahl took it and took off running without even looking at it.

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Security Room  
Anna Cassidy

"Well that was rather easy," said Anna. "Thanks for your help Sig."

"Anytime," said Sigurd. Sigurd di'Arganan was the YIA's master forger, and a Hacker to boot. "But I better be off. Donivore won't recognize the fake, but even so I'd rather not linger too much. Just because he won't, doesn't mean other people who are watching will be fooled."

Anna nodded and the two left the building.

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison: Ventilation Shafts  
Gaius Faraday

"Where is our end point in this plan?" asked Gaius as Morgan led him along in the ventilation ducts.

"The Hideout," said Morgan.

"Been a while since we had any use for that," Gaius commented lightly.

"Here we are," Morgan said and she dropped head first out of the ventilation shaft. She touched the ground with her hands and executed a perfect handspring.

Gaius did the same, except sloppier. Morgan quirked an eyebrow at him and Gaius shrugged, "Not a Thief anymore. At least, in that kind of sense."

Then the hammer of a gun clicked.

The two agents turned around on the spot to see a detective standing there, gun pointed at them.

"Hands in the air!" she shouted. She brushed her purple hair out of her face.

"Woah woah woah! There's clearly been a misunderstanding here!" Gaius said to the purple haired detective. He took a cautious step forward and noted the tensing of the woman's muscles.

Gaius reacted instantaneously. He bolted forward and knocked her arm to the side. Milliseconds after he did so, the detective fired, missing.

Quick reaction time.

Gaius tried to end it quickly, but the detective blocked his kick to her leg. She threw a punch at his face. Gaius reached up to block it, but was hit in the stomach with her other hand, a feint.

The Mastermind deflected her next punch and followed up with several of his own. The woman blocked all but the last, which Gaius barely managed to land on her. The detective took a few steps backward from the attack.

Gaius delivered a cross chop to her right side. As the woman tried to block it, Gaius glimpsed a faded tattoo on her inner right arm, right by her armpit. A black elegant F.

_Black Fang._

Gaius furrowed his eyebrows. That wasn't right, this woman had all the wrong tells to be Black Fang. Then he realized she must be _Ex-_Black Fang. Big difference.

Gaius punched the woman in the temple while she tried to block his other hand, knocking her out.

"She'll be fine," said the Mastermind to Morgan. "Let's go."

* * *

Ylissean Maximum Security Prison  
Stahl Donivore

"Leila?" Stahl said as he turned the corner, his eyes widening as he saw a woman lying on the floor.

The purple haired detective was flat on the ground. She groaned at the sound of her name.

"What happened!?" Stahl asked as he ran up to her. Matthew was going to kill him.

"Faraday escaped," Leila rubbed her head. "He's…good. Too good to be a normal civilian. But he got away."

Stahl nodded, "Don't worry about it. I just got the lab results. Turns out Faraday wasn't our man."

"Then who is?"

"Someone named Colm Fletcher. Up you get, we've got work to do."

* * *

Ylissean Suburbs: Mansion  
Volke

The Fireman pulled down the handkerchief from his mouth. The barrier of cloth to hide his breathing didn't matter. Not when he had prey like this. Plus Volke was good enough where he didn't need it.

For the ninth time, he checked to make sure all his weapons were in place.

Despite the situation, he almost laughed. Damn job had him feeling like it was his first job.

_It's just another job. Just with a bit of a more dangerous target._

Volke vaulted across the gap between buildings. On top of the mansion, Volke lithely slid down the roof and jumped onto the balcony on the second floor.

The house was all lit up. It made Volke a little more relieved. Had his target known he was coming, he would have killed the lights so as to be able to sneak up on the Fireman.

Volke pulled out a lockpick. The window took little time, perhaps thirty seconds. It would have been shorter except he was slightly nervous.

_Nervous? You're the Fireman. You don't get nervous._

Volke stepped through the now open window and silently began to scope the place. He took out his signature custom built silenced pistol. It was one of the most accurate guns in the world.

The assassin eased open the door that stood between him and the main hallway of the mansion. Once it was open, he peeked his head out and narrowed his eyes. He could see the target.

Kellam Anderson sat in a room adjacent to the main hall, watching TV. Volke drew a sniper scope out of his pocket and attached it to his pistol. Silently, of course.

Volke brought it up to his eye and aimed, placing Kellam's head right dead in the center of the crosshair.

The Fireman tightened his finger on the trigger. He took a deep breath.

And Kellam turned in his chair and pointed a pistol right where Volke was and fired several times.

Had Volke reacted any amount of time later, he would have been riddled with bullet holes. Volke had managed to duck out of the way. But he wasn't out of danger, not by a long shot.

More bullets followed, piercing through the wall and steadily getting closer to Volke.

Then they stopped, Kellam was reloading.

Volke made his move, he dove out of the room into the hallway while firing several times. In an effort to distract his target, he shouted, "Hey Anderson! I heard you were in jail. Guess I was wrong."

Kellam had been in jail for a time. Volke had assumed Sterling had sprung him. Not like Kellam would have been kept there for long, he was too good.

Without missing a beat, Kellam slammed in another clip to his gun and shouted back, "Hey Volke, I heard you sucked! Guess I was _right!_"

When the shots from Kellam resumed, Volke began to regret taking this job. He vaulted up the walls in the hallway which was out of Kellam's line of sight and clung to the chandelier, dispersing his weight so he wouldn't cause it to come crashing down.

Kellam stopped firing. He began to walk toward where Volke had been, pistol held out in front of him like a professional. Unshaking, unafraid.

When he got beneath Volke, the Fireman jumped off the chandelier with barely a sound. He clenched his left fist, and the brace he had on his arm shot out a knife on the bottom of his hand. He angled it down at Kellam for the kill.

But Anderson had heard his jump. He sidestepped just enough for Volke to miss. But he didn't get out of the way completely, Volke was able to kick the gun out of Kellam's hand as he fell. As the Fireman hit the ground, he rolled and recovered on his feet. Turning on the spot, he emptied a clip in Kellam's direction. Off target, misses.

Kellam managed to recover his gun. But he must have been still slightly disoriented, for his shot hit Volke's gun instead of his hand. The firearm was flung from his hand. The Fireman palmed a knife that had been hiding in his sleeve.

With a jerk of the wrist, the knife was flung at Kellam, who dodged. But the Fireman had been anticipating that. So in the time it took the knife to get to Kellam, Volke closed the distance between them. With a cross chop, the gun in Kellam's hand hit the floor.

Anderson stepped backward with agile and ease one wouldn't expect from him. He grabbed one of the ornamental swords from the wall and swung it at Volke with finesse and style. Volke blocked it with his knife and the two held there, trying to overpower the other.

They stood still like that for several moments.

"I gotta hand it to you, not many people can just spot me immediately," Kellam said with a cocky look. "But the number of people who can is about to be reduced by one!"

Kellam pulled the sword back and swung low, trying to earn a hit on Volke's leg. The Fireman jumped back, letting distance get between them again. That was what Kellam wanted, it was how he worked best.

In a true fencer's form, Kellam began to press down on Volke using the blade's reach to take advantage of Volke's short range and in attempt to press Volke against a wall.

The Fireman threw his knife in desperation at Kellam to try and make an opening.

It worked, Kellam had to pull back the sword to block the knife. Volke closed the distance once again and clenched his left fist. The hidden blade jut out of his brace on his arm.

He punched forward, aiming for the right lung. A punctured lung would mean victory for him.

Volke's aim was true, and Kellam realized what was happening too late. The blade hit Kellam right at the lung.

And bounced off.

Kellam kicked Volke in the stomach and the Fireman was flung backward into a wall.

_Bullet proof vest! How is he that fast!?_

Kellam began the attack again, Volke had taken out one of his several spare knives and managed to fend off Kellam while he regained his composure and bearings from the hit to the wall.

Several minutes passed by without either gaining the upper hand, and Volke felt his body begin to tire. He was beginning to slow, and Volke knew Kellam saw.

Volke tried throwing his knife at Kellam again. The assassin effortlessly blocked it, not being distracted like last time. Volke reached up to his back and quickly pulled the shot gun that was on his back off. The Fireman pointed it at Kellam very quickly and fired.

Volke was surprised he made as good a shot as he did. But the blast hit Kellam in the chest. Not like it would do much since he had the bullet proof vest and it was at such a short range, but it was still the power of a shotgun hitting him. Kellam would feel it.

Kellam dropped the sword as he crashed to the ground. He picked up one of Volke's discarded knives and threw it at the Fireman. It hit the shotgun just as he was about to fire again, causing his shot to miss.

Volke dropped the shotgun, reloading wasn't worth it. It would get him killed.

For the third time that night, Volke clenched his left fist and the blade shot out. Volke jumped at Kellam, making sure not to miss this time.

The lights went out.

Volke swore very loudly as his blade hit the wood floor. It broke the brace on his arm, leaving Volke with a busted brace where the knife stuck out in a useless angle.

The Fireman got up and pulled out his last remaining weapon, his back up pistol. Then he stood completely still, waiting for Kellam to make a noise.

For ten minutes, nothing. No sounds at all. Volke could barely hear his own breathing

Volke took a tentative step. No noise. He hated when he had to deal with creaky floorboards.

Then the lights flashed back on. And Kellam stood a few feet in front of him.

Gun in hand, pointing at Volke's head.

"Night night," he said smugly.

Volke dove to the floor as he heard the gunshot.

It had missed, albeit barely.

…But the second one didn't.

Volke felt the hot metal pierce below his heart. Non-fatal laceration, he could survive if he got medical attention.

But he wouldn't survive the third shot to the head.

* * *

**Author Notes: I'm actually really proud of this chapter! And that last scene was as great as it was due to LittleA-A-Ron! You can thank him and his long awaited Volke moment! Sorry though, it was for the plot.**

**Since I couldn't PM respond to Shadow Typer, I'm thanking you for you reviews now!**

"**What's that in the mirror, or the corner of your eye? What's that footstep following, but never passing by? Perhaps they're not just waiting. Perhaps when we're all dead, out they'll come a-slithering… **_**from underneath the bed."**_

**-The Doctor, Listen**


	11. The False Friend Job III: Finale

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem

* * *

The False Friend Job  
Part III: Finale

Ylisstol: Streets  
Colm Fletcher

Colm glanced at the car that pulled up at the arranged spot on the street. He nonchalantly walked forward and got in the black car.

"Is this really necessary?" Colm growled as he glared at the woman in the car. Lately he hadn't had much patience. And with good reason.

"Vika, drive," commanded Ishtar. The woman in the driver's seat did just that as Ishtar turned her attention to Colm. But first Ishtar pulled the glass divider that blocked their conversation from reaching Vika. "Now Colm, very nice of you to cooperate and come here."

Colm snorted, "Well, that's what blackmail does. You kidnap my wife, of course I do what you want."

"I suppose," Ishtar said disinterestedly. She examined her fingernails with more attention than she gave Colm.

There was silence for a few minutes. Colm grew tired of it very quickly, "Why am I here? I've done everything you asked. If it's about those files, here they are. I was going to do the drop as we had agreed, but seeing as I'm here." Colm reached into the inside pocket of his suit and pulled out a small file folder. He handed it to Ishtar.

The blue haired woman opened it. Colm glimpsed the front page of the file. Feeling lucky and admittedly curious, he asked, "What's the Rabbit's Foot?"

Ishtar shrugged, "We don't know. And if Ylisse's got a weapon that we don't know of, we're going to find out what it is. But that doesn't matter right now. What matters now, is you."

"Me?" Colm asked annoyed. "Got some other blackmail material on me or something? Or do you want me to go ruin someone else's life?"

Ishtar ignored the last part, "Colm, you're good at what you do. Too good. I've been instructed to not relinquish our hold over you because of how useful you are. Sterling's orders."

Colm stiffened. This was not good.

"However," Ishtar let the word hang there for a while, making eye contact with Colm for the first time that evening, "there is another option for you."

Colm didn't say anything, but he was listening.

"It would mean you go to jail for that murder. Somehow, YPD got your prints. FSIO might bail you out, but it depends on whether they want to risk the scandal. But Neimi will go free and into hiding. All you have to do is one thing, deliver a message for me," Ishtar said.

"To who?" Colm said in a neutral tone.

"Sigurd di'Arganan," Ishtar said, her voice betraying nothing. "There's…something he needs to know. Something I must have him know." But Colm was no ordinary agent. FSIO drilled all their agents on interrogation. And Colm caught something in her voice.

"Holy shit," Colm said, startled. "You're _worried_! You _need _this message delivered." Now Colm had something to work with.

"I…am," Ishtar reluctantly admitted.

"And why would I help you?" Colm said angrily. "Sounds like you're desperate. You need my cooperation."

Ishtar was silent, "Because if you don't, I'll have Neimi killed."

"…Bitch," muttered Colm. Had he been calm, Colm easily would have seen that minor detail.

"I'll tell you where she's being kept, you and her can go into hiding together. But I won't give you the location until you deliver my message," Ishtar said.

"…How would I even get out of here alive?" Colm asked. Damn! He was already considering her offer.

"Well, upon my order to kill Neimi, you would render me unconscious. You would take my gun and shoot the driver of this car. The car would crash, I would survive by luck, and you would jump out and avoid the two cars of Sterling's thugs that have been tailing us that you have no knowledge of. Upon escaping, there is a man waiting at 672 Chalphy Street that I will never tell you about, not even if you torture me. He has the message," Ishtar said calmly.

Colm nodded very slowly. He made eye contact with Ishtar one last time before his fist rocketed out and smashed her in the face, possibly breaking her nose. Colm reached into her suit and pulled out a revolver and pointed it at Vika the driver. He pulled the trigger.

_Bang!_

Vika slumped down on the steering wheel, dead. Colm calculated that in less than two point four seconds, the car would swerve into oncoming traffic. Thankfully Colm hadn't put a seatbelt on. He wrenched open the door of the car and jumped out of it. The blue haired agent took the fall with experience.

He rolled several times before ending up on his back facing the cars that were driving toward him. It wasn't hard to pick out the two cars that had been following them. Colm aimed the revolver at the thugs in the driver's seats. With two precise shots, he killed the two drivers and began to run for it.

Colm never looked back to see what happened to the thugs, whether they died or if they were trying to save one of their boss Ishtar.

But the important thing was they didn't follow him.

Twenty minutes later, Colm was at the address. The street was deserted, except for one cloaked figure that began walking toward Colm. He pulled down his hood.

"Kris Holst?" Colm said with raised eyebrows.

"Deliver this message," Kris whispered to Colm and handed him an envelope that was presumably the message. "Get to Faraday's Hideout, you know where it is. With luck, tonight might be the last night of our problems. Stay down, and once you get there, di'Arganan has the address. Go!"

Colm nodded and began to run. Hopefully he'd be fast enough before Sterling figured out what was going on.

* * *

The Hideout  
Gaius Faraday

Gaius quickly changed out of his prison uniform and into his usual attire. He and the rest of the team, plus Claude and Sigurd sat in the main room of the Hideout planning their next move.

"Are you sure it was Colm?" Virion asked, puzzled.

"Absolutely," Gaius said, with two suckers in his mouth and a chocolate bar in his hand. He was getting rid of that headache the sweet way.

"I still find it hard to believe he would betray us," Virion muttered. "Why would he get you locked up? I can't think up an angle that he'd benefit from."

Sigurd cleared his throat, "Blackmail, perhaps?"

Gaius shrugged. It didn't really matter to him, all that he could see was that a friend had stabbed him in the back. And Gaius wouldn't forgive him. You don't betray your friends.

There was a knock at the door. Sigurd jumped up before anyone else could react. Gaius narrowed his eyes, the forger had been waiting for that. Or been aware that it someone might stop by.

The blue haired man opened the door. Whoever was there was out of Gaius' line of sight, but Sigurd took something from them. Then Sigurd said, "2130 Etruria Avenue. Better hurry."

Whoever was at the door ran off, and Sigurd walked back in with an envelope in his hands.

"What the hell was that?" Morgan asked sharply.

Sigurd ran a hand through his hair distractedly, "That was Colm dropping off a message for me."

There was silence, then Claude asked, "And why, may I ask, did you let him go? I was under the impression that he was our target. Unless someone saw fit to lie to me this whole time?"

"He was being blackmailed. Sterling has his wife. Colm is going to disappear now, and now is no longer our concern," Sigurd replied as he opened the envelope and scanned its text. His eyes narrowed, "Damn, I've got to go!"

Without even waiting for a reply, Sigurd dropped the letter on the ground and practically ran out the door. Except with style, because he was Sigurd di'Arganan.

"Are we just special, or is this job always like this? I thought secret agents actually knew what was going on sometimes," Lissa asked, clearly lost.

Frederick chuckled, "You can never trust any information you assume. Hell, you can't even trust some of the facts you think are right. So yes, it'll always be like this."

Gaius picked up the letter that was addressed to Sigurd.

_Sigurd,_

_I'm going to be found out. Unless Stef intervenes, I'm dead. Kellam likely won't hesitate pulling the trigger when he finds out. But you may have more time if Robin wants to question me._

_Better hurry, you know where I am._

_Ishtar Reeves_

Gaius' eyes widened.

Reeves.

Priam Reeves.

"Holy shit," whispered Gaius, connecting the dots.

"What?" came the resounding cry of six voices.

"Priam's wife, she didn't leave him. She's a mole in Sterling's inner circle. Ishtar is one of ours."

* * *

2130 Etruria Avenue  
Colm Fletcher

Colm heard a twig snap behind him. He whipped out his gun and pointed it at the cute rabbit that appeared out of the bush behind him.

"Son of a…" Colm muttered, heart racing. This paranoia wasn't healthy.

Colm couldn't let anything go wrong. Not while his wife's life was at stake.

The address had lead Colm to a warehouse. A grey, boring, typical warehouse. With several black vans outside of it.

With a few bushes and bunnies near it.

Colm stealthily made his way to the black vans. There weren't any people, civilians or thugs, near them. Colm rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and took off his watch. He cranked the nob on the side three times. Colm tossed the watch under the nearest van and began to run for cover on the side of the warehouse.

Once on the side of the warehouse, Colm looked around the corner. He didn't even know if this would work, it wasn't like he'd used the explosive function on his watch before.

_BOOM!_

_Looks like it worked._

The van rocketed up in the air a bit, now blazing in flames. There was soon a second explosion from within the car, and the other two vans got caught up in the blaze.

Four thugs ran out of the warehouse, all armed and at a loss for what was going on. Colm took out the revolver he'd taken off Ishtar and fired four shots.

Four bodies hit the ground.

And now the clock was on, he wouldn't have long before police showed up.

Colm dashed to the door that the thugs had come out of and ducked inside of it. He immediately came upon another guard who likely was going to investigate the gunshots.

Colm threw a punch at the man's face. The agent felt his fist connect and a loud snap followed by a spurt of blood. The thug fell with a broken nose. Colm aimed the gun at the man's forehead and shot him.

Colm proceeded further into the warehouse. When he got to the huge, main room he could see two men with a woman tied to a chair.

Neimi.

Colm growled. Thankfully, the guards' backs were turned. So long as Colm was silent, they wouldn't see him coming. It fit Colm's style perfectly.

And that's how it happened. Colm crept up behind them. Neimi's back was also turned, she couldn't see her husband coming to rescue her. And that was probably for the better, she'd have started to cry and ruined it.

Colm raised the pistol and fired a bullet into the man on the right's skull. He fell down with a _thump._ Colm aimed at the other man who began to turn around. He pulled the trigger.

_Click._

Colm's face grew pale. He hadn't reloaded.

The thug grinned, completely disregarding his dead friend and pointed his shotgun at Colm. Colm stood still, trying to figure out a plan. No success.

A trigger was pulled.

The thug's head was blown off.

A figure cloaked like Kris had been stood in the door way Colm had come from pointing a gun. But it wasn't Kris, this man was shorter and his face was completely obscured.

"Who…?" Colm asked, very wary about the fact that he still had no bullets in his gun.

"Just a favor for Ishtar. Us moles need to stick together," it was hard to tell, but the voice was a man's. Colm didn't recognize it.

"Who are you?" Colm asked.

"That would be telling. My identity cannot be compromised, so understand that I'm not about to tell you," the man chuckled. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a plastic bag and threw it to Colm. Then the shooter left the way Colm had come in.

Colm grabbed the bag and looked inside. Two passports, two plane tickets, several thousand in gold notes.

The blue haired agent quickly reloaded his gun and then began to untie Neimi. She was already whimpering, but it was muffled by the gag.

"Alright Neimi, don't worry. I'm here, stop crying," Colm tried to reassure her.

Neimi began sobbing in Colm's arms, "Colm! I was so scared!"

"'s alright Neimi. You're safe now," Colm said. "But we got to get going. We'll have to disappear."

Neimi nodded, still crying. She held Colm tightly as they walked out of the warehouse.

Into several police cars.

"Gregor says, hands above your heads!" shouted a man, presumably a higher up.

"Shit," Colm whispered. Colm scooped Neimi into his arms and began to run back the way they came. Colm had seen another exit, perhaps they'd have luck there.

"After them!" came the detective's voice.

Colm ran faster than he'd ever remembered. If they got caught now, they were finished. Colm would convicted of murder and Sterling would go after Neimi in revenge.

The exit Colm had seen turned out not to be an exit, but an entrance to a small storage area. But most importantly, it had a window. A window meant an exit the coppers most likely weren't watching.

* * *

2130 Etruria Avenue  
Mia Meridas

Mia saw the two criminals duck into the small storage area. The purple haired detective in training sped up ahead of her girlfriend Heather. Heather was quicker, but Mia was better at sprinting in short bursts.

"Wait up!" Heather shouted.

Mia didn't, she wanted to be the one who arrested these two. It would be her first arrest. Something she'd dreamt about.

Mia entered the room. Upon not seeing them, she glanced around. Spotting a window, she saw the pink haired woman climbing out through the window. Mia quickly located the blue haired man.

The detective in training held up her standard issue YPD pistol and shouted, "Freeze!"

The man didn't, he held up his pistol and fired. Mia felt something hot stab through her right leg. Screaming in pain, the purple haired woman collapsed to the ground unable to keep herself upright. She hit her head on the hard floor causing her vision to blur. But before it blurred, she saw the man jump up and out of the window.

"Mia!" screamed Heather.

Mia could hear voices. But her head hurt, all the loud voices made it worse. She closed her eyes in hopes of being able to see better when she opened them.

"Mia! Don't close your eyes!" shouted Heather in full panic. Mia began to feel immense overwhelming pain.

Mia closed her eyes and fell unconscious.

* * *

2130 Etruria Avenue  
Heather Starr

Heather wasn't worried about the leg injury. People survived them all the time.

Heather was worried about the fact that Mia hit her head so hard on the fall. That wasn't good at all, especially with her leg bleeding enough blood to fill a lake. The bullet must have passed through completely, or else it would have acted as a plug.

The detective immediately abandoned any idea of chasing the criminals. She began examining her girlfriend's leg while trying to keep Mia awake with conversation. But the purple haired woman didn't seem to be registering anything she said.

Heather pulled out a knife from her pocket and cut the sleeve off her shirt. Creating a shoddy makeshift bandage, Heather began to apply pressure so as to stop the bleeding.

Mia tensed immediately and Heather could see the pain on her face. The blond woman felt horrible for being the cause of that pain, but she had no choice.

"Heather!" came Legault's voice from somewhere behind her.

Heather didn't pay him any attention, Mia's eyes began to close.

"Mia! Don't close your eyes!" shouted Heather in full panic.

Mia's eyes closed.

"_Shit!"_ swore Heather loudly.

"We've got a stretcher, Heather, stand away for a second," Legault said, much closer this time and sounding out of breath.

Heather stood away while some medical people lifted her carefully onto a stretcher. The blonde grabbed Mia's hand after she was on the stretcher and refused to let go. She rode in the ambulance the entire way, never letting go of her girlfriend's hand.

* * *

?  
Farina Dale

"Lock and load," said Stefan.

Farina, the newest member of Stefan's team cocked her sniper rifle. The sound of the others loading their guns pierced the quiet that had previously been there. Mark loaded both his pistols. Kris readied his shotgun.

Sigurd opened his laptop.

And Stefan had his handgun in his hand. The SHEPHERDs stood outside a very fine mansion. Under the cover of darkness, of course.

One of YIA's local operatives reported seeing a man matching Robin's description entering said mansion. And according to YIA records, this mansion belonged to a Mr. Kellam Anderson. And it also was the location where the Fireman had been sent by Stefan.

"Positions," Stefan said.

The team dispersed. Sigurd went down the street where their van was. He had needed to get near to hack the wifi and see where the outer cameras were. Stefan and Kris went around the back. Mark was to wait until Sigurd had control and sneak through a front window once he did. Farina's spot was in a tall tree with her sniper rifle.

"Good luck," she whispered to Mark.

"Ha, I don't need luck," Mark said with a smirk. "I've got a trench coat. That makes me badass."

"That is going to your head," Farina rolled her eyes and began to head to her position as Mark did the same.

The Observer climbed the large tree and got in position.

* * *

Anderson Mansion: YIA Van  
Sigurd di'Arganan

Sigurd hummed to himself as clicked away on his keyboards of the multiple computers in front of him.

The Hacker took control of the network. Hopefully either Anderson didn't have a Hacker on hand, or they sucked enough that they didn't notice him.

Sigurd's phone began to ring. He sighed, and answered it, "Hello Tiltyu."

"_What's up Siggy?" _Tiltyu cheerfully asked.

"Tiltyu…" Sigurd mumbled. "I'm on a job."

"_Oh darn! I'm sorry, ya forgive me, right?" _Tiltyu said, suddenly sounding distressed.

Sigurd chuckled, "Yes, I'll call you when it's over."

He hung up. His wife could a handful, but at least he could be honest with her. Not many people came after Sigurd. Hackers usually attracted the least amount of enemies.

"_We're you just on a phone?" _Stefan asked via the com link.

"Yes," Sigurd said, fiddling with the cameras.

"_Never do that again," _Stefan said sharply and coldly.

"Cameras are ours. We're clear," Sigurd said. Then he noticed two unfamiliar people moving on camera, "Stef, we got company. Looks like some hired guns."

* * *

Anderson Mansion: Basement  
Kellam Anderson

Kellam licked his lips with anticipation. He almost had to physically restrain himself from killing the two men in front of him outright.

No, he would savor it.

Kellam had caught the pricks that he'd missed a few months back. Now it was time for his revenge.

"Let's play a game. It's called 'Who Gets Killed?'" Kellam smirked ferociously. "I'll kill one of you, then I'll let the other go, but you choose who gets to go free."

Donny Winchester and Volug Collins both were tied to chairs in the middle of the basement. Neither had taken long to subdue.

"You're going to have to kill me then," Volug said. "Donny goes free."

"Volug, what're ya sayin'?! I ain't gonna be the one t' go free!" Donny exclaimed.

Volug shook his head, "You're the one with a girlfriend. I don't have any attachments."

"I…I…" Donny attempted. "I'm sure ya got somethin'!"

Volug looked at Kellam, "Kill me."

Kellam lifted his revolver to Volug's head and fired. The force of the shot knocked Volug's chair over.

"Now Donny, he said you have a girlfriend?" Kellam said, a feral smirk beginning to appear on his face.

Kellam could see Donny realizing what the Assassin could do with this information.

"Sir," came a voice as two pairs of footsteps walked down the basement steps. A man and a woman stepped into the light. The man had spoken before and he continued, "Where are you?"

"I'm right here," Kellam said, not taking his eyes off Donny. He was enjoying the fear in the HBI agent's eyes.

"Oh right, sorry," Zihark apologized. He was just a simple Hitter that Sterling had hired. Kellam's employer had been here briefly, but that was just to discuss the next steps of the plan with Kellam. And to drop these two off. "But we came to tell you they're here."

"Five of 'em," the Observer said. Her name was Nephenee, and her reputation preceded her. She had yet to take off her sweatshirt hood. Kellam didn't care why, so long as she did her job.

"Excellent," Kellam said. He walked behind Donny's chair and used a knife to cut the rope that bound him. "Now Donny, don't struggle. Or I'll shoot you and Volug will have died for nothing, you hear?"

Donny nodded and Kellam began dragging him up the stairs to the front door of the mansion. "Now here's what's going to happen," Kellam said with false sweetness. "I'm going to open up this door. You're going to walk out slowly and take your time. If you run, I shoot you in the back."

Donny nodded and Kellam opened the door and gestured for him to walk out. Donny began to walk out of the house slowly. The Assassin managed to get a rough estimate of where each agent was from their reactions to Donny walking out. Be it a bush shifting or a breath being drawn.

Kellam raised his revolver and fired, shooting Donny in the back. The bullet was a direct shot to the heart, it went straight through him and Donny fell over, unmoving.

"Thought you said you wouldn't shoot him?" Zihark frowned.

"I lied," Kellam said. "Now you go watch our special guest. Nephenee, you take the agents in the front yard. I'll take the two in the back."

* * *

Anderson Mansion: Front Yard  
Mark Strife

Mark watched in horror as Donny fell to the ground, dead. There was no questioning as to if he were alive, because no one survived unless Kellam Anderson intended it.

"Sig, what're we up against?" Mark whispered from his hiding spot along the side of the house.

"_Nephenee Rhodes, sniper for hire. She prefers to act from a vantage point. She'll be up on the roof more likely than not. I'll try to distract her," _Sigurd said.

Mark sighed, damn Observers. Always shooting from a distance.

Then again, he was dating an Observer. Though Farina only shot holes in his wallet.

"_Mark,"_ said Farina. _"Start running around."_

"You want me to get killed?" Mark asked in disbelief.

"_Of course not. Now go run around like a chicken," _Farina ordered.

"Is this for your own sick amusement?" grumbled Mark.

"_Partially."_

At least she was honest.

Mark jumped out from his hiding place, running like mad across the yard. He darted back and forth constantly to make himself harder to hit. Three bullets fired in rapid succession at him.

Then Sigurd decided to turn on the sprinklers.

"I hate this job!" shouted Mark as he heard several more bullets. If his trench coat got hit…! Mark would be a very unhappy Grifter.

"_Shut up!" _shouted Farina.

Mark kept running like his life depended on it. Which it did.

There was a bang. Said bang was followed by a scream. Despite the situation Mark stopped running and pressed a finger to his ear, "Farina?"

For a horrible moment, there was no answer.

Then, _"…If I had been killed, and you had stopped running you'd be dead."_

"I love you too," grinned Mark.

* * *

Anderson Mansion: Back Yard  
Kris Holst

Kris cracked his knuckles as he looked at his opponent. Thankfully, the target didn't have any guns. Neither did Kris, but he'd stand the best chance in hand to hand combat. Kellam Anderson with a gun was like a nuclear bomb falling from the sky.

"Hello Kris, long time no see," said Kellam with a smirk. "Been a while, hasn't it?" he said with mock care.

"Been a while since you left the WIA, you mean," Kris said darkly. That's right, Kellam Anderson used to be one of the good guys.

"Well…they got boring. And I was too good to waste away doing that shit," Kellam shrugged.

"I guess we better do this then," Kris said, taking a stance. Right foot forward, apply weight to said foot. Right arm out in blocking position, left ready for a hard punch to the lower gut.

"_Keep him engaged until I give the signal,"_ said Stefan in Kris' ear.

Kellam put his left foot back and both fists up like a boxer. The Assassin distributed his weight evenly.

Kris frowned, and adjusted his stance. His left foot turned ninety degrees. This way he'd slide backwards less and be able to counter attack with more ease.

Kellam chuckled, "That's so like you."

Kris was puzzled, "What-"

Kris never saw it coming, which was Kellam's MO. Kellam's fist hit Kris in the gut. The blue haired Hitter slid backward, but thanks to his stance it wasn't as far as it would've been. But it didn't matter, Kris still slid and Kellam capitalized on that. A foot hit Kris in the kneecap.

Kris fell to one knee, but used that time to recover from Kellam's first hit. Kris blocked Kellam's next three punches with some ease and even managed to throw one of his own.

Kellam knocked the punch aside and stepped back out of Kris' range. The Hitter jumped up, getting back on his feet. Kellam roundhouse kicked him at that moment, knocking him clean off his feet.

"Oh dear, you done yet?" smirked Kellam. "I thought YIA was supposed to be good at getting the job done."

"Heh…just getting started," said Kris.

* * *

Anderson Mansion: Living Room  
Stefan Gerrard

Stefan stepped into the living room without a single care for caution.

The first thing he saw was Ishtar strapped to a chair, gagged. And Zihark O'Riely stood between him and her.

"Can't let you go any further," said the Hitter.

"Oh, fuck off," Stefan growled.

Zihark came forward with a punch aimed for Stefan's neck. The Director grabbed Zihark's hand at the fist and wrist with both hands. Stefan twisted it and bent it over his shoulder. Zihark gasped in sudden pain, his chest was now pressed up against Stefan's back.

Perfect.

Stefan jerked his head backward and smashed it into O'Riely's head. The Hitter crumpled to the floor.

The green haired man ran a hand through his hair, getting it back how he liked it. He proceeded to ungag Ishtar and begin to untie her.

"Thanks," she said, giving Stefan a small smile.

Stefan grunted in reply, concentrating on the ropes.

"You okay Stef? You seem different," asked Ishtar.

"I'm fine," Stefan said sharply.

Ishtar let the topic drop, "Who's in the field today?"

"Myself, Kris, Mark, Farina and Sigurd," Stefan said getting the ropes undone.

Ishtar didn't say anything. Instead, as quick as lightning, reached into Stefan's suit jacket and pulled out his pistol. She turned on the spot and shot Zihark through the head as he began to stand up. Zihark stopped moving.

"Here," Ishtar handed the gun back to Stefan. "Now let's get out of here."

* * *

Anderson Mansion: Back yard  
Kellam Anderson

Kellam took a punch from Kris to his abdomen. The Assassin shrugged it off and blocked Kris' next punch.

Kris jumped back and pressed a finger to his ear. Kellam's eyes narrowed and he began to close the distance between them.

But he hadn't acted quickly enough, Kris reached to his belt and removed something from it. There was a grenade in his hand. Kris pulled the pin.

A smoke grenade.

Kellam was blinded. Swearing, he tensed, expecting an attack. When one didn't come, Kellam growled.

_That coward!_

"You're dead Kris! You hear me!? You're _dead!_" Kellam screamed in frustration.

* * *

The False Friend Job  
Mission: **Accomplished**

* * *

**Author Notes: On one hand, I'm very pleased with this chapter, it's about 3k words longer than my original plans. On the other hand, most of it was spur of the moment and I don't know how it turned out.**

**Hey Shadow Typer! I tried to involve as many of those things you said you liked! I threw Mark in there, put in the start of more HeatherxMia moments to come as well! Hope you enjoyed it!**

"**Here's the thing…Dammit, I need to stop saying that."**

**-Kip Guile, The Broken Eye**

**You only need two words to tell you what the next job is about:**

**Sacaen Mafia**


End file.
